See You Again
by zosanlaw
Summary: Sanji and Zoro have a falling out. Sanji finds happiness again with mystery girl Annie (OC). Will Zoro's return cause trouble between them or will life amuse them with it's turn of events? Modern AU. Alot of boy loving, boy and girl loving and threesome as well. Don't like don't read. HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

He stood near the swings, staring at her. She had her arms out and revolving on the same spot, feeling the rain drops on her face, her arms; letting the rain pour down her beautiful long hair, the purple dress sticking to her body. He stood there mesmerized, looking at her as she enjoyed the rain. How did he end up here? How did he end up falling for a girl whom he knew he hated?

Sanji sat at the sofa. How long had it been since Zoro left? 1 month... maybe a month and a half. He was quite sure that the swordsman had moved on. He was probably climbing the staircase to his success. And here he was, staring at the LCD, squeezed between Luffy and Ussop. Those two had barged into his apartment and forced him to come over at Nami's. They had for waited 2 hours while he took bath and moped around, not wanting to leave.

Zoro was gone. He left a little over a month ago, throwing their relationship through the window. They had been together for 2 years and he just up and left. Sanji couldn't go with him; he had his restaurant to take care of, All Blue. He was the head chef and the owner. It was all for nothing of-course. He was not able to concentrate on his work and Taijo was the one handling the restaurant at the moment and Sanji couldn't care less. He just went there to cook when he felt like.

It was a really quite night in his apartment when it happened. Zoro sat across the table with his arms crossed over his chest, looking sternly at Sanji while Sanji stared at him, dumbfounded and at a lack of words. Zoro wanted an out. He said being with Sanji affected his concentration and decreased his training time. He said if he really wanted to achieve his dream, he needed to be free from distraction and so, he was going to leave town. It sounded so childish to Sanji at that time. He understood Zoro wanting an out, the guy lived for his dream and it was why Sanji loved him. He would never want to come in the way. But leaving town...? That was something a little too extreme wasn't it? He had cleared his throat, telling Zoro he needed some air; he had left the apartment, trying to process what the swordsman had proposed. When he came back 3 hours later, Zoro was gone. His mobile, charger, swords, toothbrush and some of his clothes were gone and so was his travelling bag. All that was left was his scent on the pillows on his side of the bed, all the clothes Sanji ever got for him and a key to the apartment.

Sanji had not cried. He didn't sleep either. He didn't go to his work and he only drank coffee when he felt he was getting a little too weak. He didn't call him either. All he did was clean. He cleaned out Zoro's wardrobe. He went shopping. He bought new pillows and threw out the old ones. And all the time he did anything to remove any trace of a green haired man living there, he was numb. He felt nothing. His friends had noticed his absence and four days after Zoro left, Ace and Nami came to his apartment, finding the door ajar and an overworked cook scrubbing the glass table spotless.

4 days after Zoro left

Nami and Ace entered the apartment. Sanji was on his knees, bent over on the round glass table. He had a toothbrush in his gloved hands and was scrubbing sluggishly, his eyes unfocused.

"Sanji?" Nami asked silently. What was going on here? Where was Zoro? Both of them had their mobiles off. Nami just thought that the two were having some fun so she didn't think too much about it. But, today morning she got a call from Taijo, asking her if she knew where Sanji was since he hadn't shown up to work for 4 days. Nami had grabbed her boyfriend and rushed over to see what was wrong.

"Sanji!" She said again, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What's going on? Where is Zoro?"

And the mention of Zoro's name, Sanji stopped scrubbing and looked around to stare at the apartment door, a glint of hope in his eyes. It vanished though and he saw Nami and Ace standing behind him. He blinked.

"Sanji. What's wrong?"

He blinked again. "He's gone. He left." He realized what it meant for the first time in four days and his heart clenched. "Nami... He left."

Nami saw as Sanji's eyes filled with tears. She had never seen him like this. So vulnerable and so lost. She sat down next to him n hugged him tightly. His head fell on her shoulder. "he le.." Before he could complete his sentence, the exhaustion took over and he passed out in Nami's hands.

Nami panicked a little. "Ace?"

Ace was sitting next to her. She felt him squeeze her shoulder. She looked at him, tears threatening to flow. He smiled at her and hoisted Sanji onto his shoulder and took him to his room.

Present day  
Sanji sat stuck between Ussop and Luffy, forcing a popcorn down his throat every once in a while, staring at the flatscreen playing "Horrible Bosses 2", thinking how Zoro might be doing. It had been a month and a half and he had not felt happy.

3 hours later, Sanji stood in his apartment. It was raining heavily outside and he was soaked in the small distance he ran from his car to his door. His apartment was on the ground floor. He sighed and switched on the light. He walked into his kitchen and grabbed a glass of water to drink when he heard the doorbell ring.

Wondering who it was and deciding to kick Luffy off his doorstep if it was him, he opened the door. But it wasn't Luffy who stood there. Or Ace or Ussop or Franky. And no, it wasn't Zoro either. A Young lady stood on his doorway, around 5 feet 4 with black hair that reached her hips. She wore a black dress that covered her from the shoulder to her heels. But what he noticed were her chocolate brown eyes and a beautiful smile worn by dark pink lips. She looked beautiful.

"Hello. I am sorry to cause you any trouble but is it alright if I can come in? It's raining heavily and I seem to have lost my way. I will be out of your hair as soon as the rain stops. It's just very cold and I saw you entering a few minutes ago and I don't see a light in any of the other apartment buildings on the street..."

Sanji started laughing. He didn't know why he was laughing but he was. "Please, come on in. You will catch a cold." He moved aside to allow the young lady to enter. She was smiling at him with a slightly embarrassed look in her eyes. "Please... The living room is this way," he said flicking on the lights of his living room "and the washroom is there," he pointed towards it "Can I get you some hot Cocoa while you are here?"

She smiled a sweet smile. "No, thank you. But if you are being so generous would it be mean of me to ask for a pair of dry clothes? I am soaked to the bone, been out in the rain for around 15 minutes and it really is cold you know..." Sanji laughed again "You're laughing a lot, is there something wrong with what I am saying?" She pulled an interested look on her face, the sweet smile still on her face.

"I'm sorry." Sanji said, smiling politely "You're just talking too fast for me to understand what you are saying and that sort of reminds me of someone I know..."

"Oh..?" She looked at him curiously and then averted her eyes to the bathroom. "So, do you have any clothes I could wear?" She said it a little slowly this time. Sanji went to his room and got one of his casual tees and a pair of gym pants. "Are you comfortable with this?". She looked at the clothes and took them in her hands ,"they are perfect."

As she turned to go to the bathroom, Sanji realized he was being rude. "I am Sanji by the way. Sanji Blackfoot."  
She turned around and laughed "Annie Cherin. Nice to meet you."

As soon as Annie entered the bathroom, Sanji heard someone impatiently knocking on his front door again. Slightly surprised Sanji went to open the door without thinking. He was standing face to face with a gun as a man held it to his face. The man seemed to have been beat up real bad. But before Sanji could react to any of this, he heard a click as a bullet shot out of the gun through the silencer. He ducked but not fast enough. He felt a blinding & sickening pain at the right side of his face near his eye as darkness engulfed him and he lost consciousness.

His head hurt. He groaned and stirred. Warmth of his blankets surrounded him n his head was neatly bandaged. His brain slowly remembered what had happened and he shot up from his bed and ran to his kitchen. What had happened? How was he in his bed? He stopped suddenly staring at the scene infront of him. The man who had shot him was lying at the base of his sofa, passed out with his hands tied behind his back and his ankles positioned in an uneasy angle and tied up as well... Whenever this man came to, he would definitely not be able to move without hurting himself. He as gagged as well... Sanji stared at the man and then at the table next to his sofa. There was an empty mug there with a little hot cocoa left at its base and below it was a small paper with something scribbled on it.

I am keeping the clothes, if you don't mind.

Take the money it would cost you from this loser's wallet if you must.

And don't worry about kicking him out. My friend will do it for you.

Just wait for him/her. IDK which one of them is coming.

Thanks and sorry.

Sanji read the note, a small smile coming on his face. The girl had taken down this man. He looked at the clock on the wall.. He was out for around 45 mins. He noticed his umbrella from the stand was missing.

Another knock on the door and he answered the door this time ready to attack if someone suspicious came through the doors again.

It was another lady "Good evening. I am Tashigi. I believe you have a criminal tied up near your sofa?" She smiled.

Sanji looked at her and smiled back. "Yes.. this way..."

 ** _So... yes. I do know where this is heading. It's modern AU. And the girl "Annie Cherin", if you're a fangirl, just imagine yourself. If you're a fanboy, imagine Baby5. I will have a sketch ready pretty soon of what she actually looks like and will put the link once I upload it somewhere. There is going to alot of YAOI, Straight sex, Threesome etc etc in this fanfic. So, if you're not into it, please don't proceed. New chapter will be out by Monday probably. Not sure._** ** _J_** ** _Please do review and let me know where you want me to improve._**


	2. Chapter 2

_**This is a long chapter. There will be some YAOI in the next one ;) . However, in this one, I am just trying to build the base of the story that will unfold later.**_

 _ **Thank you so much for the reviews. I was not expecting any but it really fired me up to start writing the new story a little earlier than I expected myself :') . Blackpiece, yes, I have pictured both Sanji and Zoro as bisexuals, somehow it made me think of a really exciting story line and a jealous Zoro will be introduced soon :D .Probably by chapter 4 or 5. Anita, thank you so much.. Hopefully you'll find the second chapter equally if not more interesting.**_

 _ **-:-**_

"Sanjiiiiiii! You need to have a life outside of your kitchen and that coming from me is saying something."

Sanji sighed n looked at Luffy. The boy never gave up. He had been following Sanji since the past 1 hour in his Kitchen, stealing bits of meat when he thought Sanji was not looking.

"Luffy, I am really not in the mood. Working here the whole day is tiring. I really need to rest so I can be here for the meeting tomorrow morning!"  
It was a plain and simple lie. Sanji never got tired of cooking and even though it had only been a week since he got back to work, he had surprised everyone with his energy and even apologized to everyone for being absent for so long and then thanked them by giving them a day off, different shifts ofcourse, he still had to run the restaurant.

"You really thought that would work on me?"  
"No. But I had to try." Sanji scowled looking at Luffy.  
"hehe.. I'll pick you up around 8. Sounds good?"  
"Fine."

Luffy left after that and Sanji was left alone to sulk while he waited for the rice to boil properly for the Mutton Biryani he was cooking. The events that occurred in his apartment last week had somehow knocked some sense into him. He was getting too comfortable for his own sake. He had returned to work the next day. Zoro was on his mind all the time. Whenever he took a smoke break, all he could think was what he was doing and weather or not he missed him at all. He checked his phone once daily before sleeping, ignoring all the messages that were not from the swordsman. But there was a small thought at the back of his mind now. The girl who had come over at his place. The lady, Tashigi, had told him that she could not tell him anything about her and had requested him not to mention about meeting her or anything similar anywhere at all. He felt a little weird about that. Why was he not allowed to know about the beautiful girl? But he was never one to invade anyone's private space.

At 8, Luffy picked him up from his apartment to go clubbing at Skypia. It was the best club in the town. The music reached out to your bones and made you dance, specially if you were slightly drunk. Then it was like the whole world was tuned out and you could dance like there was noone watching you. It was one of the reasons Sanji agreed to go. To get drunk and dance himself to exhaustion. He liked not thinking. It was peaceful. Nami, Robin, Ace, Franky and Ussop were sitting on a table, laughing on a story Ussop had probably told. Sanji felt a weird looking at them. It didn't feel right without Zoro. He smiled anyway as he met everyone's greetings and kissed both the ladies on their hands before asking them what they would like to drink. He asked the ladies but was bombarded with orders from everyone at the table. Scowling at the guys and smiling at the ladies, he left to get them their drinks.

Nami was the first one to speak up. "He is so distant. Like he is not here. What can we do?"

Robin looked at Nami and smiled sadly. The cook had been left shattered since Zoro left and according to what Nami had told them, except the time he was found all disheveled, he had not mentioned Zoro and had avoided the topic everytime it was mentioned. They had stopped mentioning it after a while, seeing as to how he seemed to lose his fake merriment. It hurt them all to see the cook like this.

Luffy broke her chain of thoughts "Nami. He loves Zoro. He won't be fine that easily. Just give him the space he needs and play along for now. He will move on sooner or later."

Nami hummed her agreement.

Sanji went towards the bar and ordered the drinks. The pamphlet behind the bar tender told him that there was supposed to be a pole dancing show today. He looked at the pamphlet idly, lost in his thoughts. Remembering the first time he had kissed Zoro. The bartender returned with his drinks snapping him out of his memory. "Ah. Thanks." He returned to the table. "There is a pole dancing show today. That's a coincidence." He smirked at Ussop.

Ussop turned to him and faked his surprise "There is? Wow! It's a good thing we came today, isn't it? And the seats are good too.. We got really very lucky.. hehehehe.." He kept rambling on from there. His habit of overdoing his explanations gave him away everytime. Sanji laughed n sat next to him, his arm around Ussop's shoulder. "Relax. I am just here for the drinks. You guys get to enjoy all you want." Ussop laughed his nervous laugh at that sentence.

The bass suddenly dropped. The lights dimmed as spotlights fell on the poles that had been hammered into the raised platform. The area was not too wide but it was not constricted either. 5 girls appeared to be coming out from the shadows and took their places near the poles. They were covered from head to toe in Black. Black slacks, black tank tops and even ridiculously high black heels. Sanji took his 3rd shot of the night and looked at the small stage. The alcohol was starting to hit him now. The beat suddenly picked to play Buttons by The Pussycat Dolls. The girls started dancing and they were oozing with sexiness. By the time the song had ended, the girls had stripped down to their underwears and stood ready to start the real show.

Franky started laughing on looking at Sanji's face. "Look at your face bro! It's like you have never seen a lady before!" And true enough, Sanji sat there, his mouth agape and staring at the dancers like he had received the shock of his life. Right in the middle of the 5 strippers stood Annie. Her hair curled up like crazy and falling partly on her face as sweat rolled down her toned stomach... and were those abs? Sanji sat there staring at her, not believing his eyes. What was happening?

A new song started playing (Kerwin Du Bois & Lil Rick-Monster Wine) and the girls started a mixture of pole dancing and twerking. The dimmed lights were staring to increase their intensity. Slowly, the club was lighted enough for the girls to notice the crowd and Annie saw Sanji and gave him a smile and winked. The expression on her face was so sexy that Sanji couldnt react and just stared at her dumbfounded. The song changed again and the girls started proper pole dancing (Hey Mama, David Guetta). When the performance was over, the girls retreated backstage leaving a crowd of whoopers in their wake. Sanji just sat there. Staring at the place where the girl left. He was not expecting this.

The DJ started playing the dance music and slowly the dancefloor was occupied with people again. A tall thin guy with shocking sideburns and a goatee approached their table and asked Robin if she would like to dance with him. Robin took one look at him and agreed. Nami and Ace went to the dancefloor next. Ussop went to relieve himself while Luffy went to the bar to get the next round of drinks. Sanji looked at Franky. His mood seemed off. Sanji followed his gaze to see Robin dancing with the guy and laughing at the same time. He sighed. Franky had liked Robin since the day he had set eyes on her but he would refuse to ask her out. It was so strange. Franky was a quite straightforward person and always said whatever came to his mind or heart. But he still refused to ask her out. "Franky, you could have atleast asked her to dance with you." Franky looked at him and pouted. "Yes. That guy beat me to it."

They both sat there, staring at the crowd.

"Well, what were the odds of finding you here, Sanji Blackleg?" Sanji looked at his side to see Annie sitting next to him, dressed again, her face resting on her palm, giving Sanji her sweet smile again. He started a little backwards, surprised that she had slipped next to him without him noticing. He kept staring at her in astonishment again until he realized he was being rude. "sorry", he smiled meekly,"I wasnt expecting to see you here." She laughed sweetly "That is mutual."

"yeah.." He cleared his throat."What would you like to drink?"  
"Ah! Thanks , but I don't drink and I just finished the soda I was drinking. You want to dance?"  
"I don't think I could say no to a beauty such as yourself." He offered his hand to her as he stood.  
"Oh don't be so formal with me" She took his hand and the two walked to the dance floor.

Song playing: Animals, Maroon5  
Reaching there, Annie turned to look a Sanji and wrapped her arms around his shoulder, coming a little close to him. Sanji didn't know what to do. He was not ready for this. He was not ready to fool around yet. So he just placed his hands awkwardly around her waist. She was so much shorter than him, even though she wore heels, her head only reached his shoulders. As they danced to the rhythm of the song, she kept on getting closer to him, closing the distance between them. Her hips moved in the most sexy manner and Sanji was moving with her in sync just a minute later, his doubts forgotten, just enjoying the music and dancing with the pretty lady. She lent closer, pulling his face down. Sanji hesitated. He didn't want to do this yet. He didn't want to believe that he had to move on. He did not want this. But he slowly bent down anyways, not breaking eye contact with her.

Annie stood on her toes (as much was possible in those heels) and her lips reached his ears. "It's okay. I am not going to force you. Just enjoy the music." Sanji stared at the ground as she hugged him. "Am I that obvious?". He felt her laugh. "No. I have a knack of understanding what the other person wants depending on their body language. It's a part of my job." She stepped back a little, hands still around his shoulder. The music was too loud to talk anymore without shouting and Sanji was not in the mood for that. He just danced with her, not breaking the eye contact at all.

Luffy, Ussop and Franky looked at them from their Table. "That's 25 dollars you both owe me" Luffy said. "I told you they wouldn't kiss!"  
"Awww man. But look at them, they are dancing like they can't wait to tear the clothes off each other!"-Ussop.  
"Shishishi... C'mon. Hand over the money" Ussop and Franky grumbled as they started counting out the money and handed it over to him.

"wow.. You dance really well!" Annie looked exhausted as she ordered some soda at the bar where she sat next to Sanji. They had danced for about and hour."You won't take anything?" She asked, looking at Sanji. He grinned at her and order another round of shots. This would be his 6th round of the night and he was quite sure he would have a hangover the next day.

"So, where do you work?" Sanji asked while he waited for his shot.  
"I would tell you if I could. Really. Seeing as how you got hurt due to it. I am so sorry about that day."  
"No, don't apologize. So, you're an undercover agent?"  
She laughed softly at that."Something like that. Yes."  
"So, why would you be performing here? Is anyone you need to stalk here?"  
She sighed."No.. But you're close. I really can't tell you. But part of the reason is because I enjoy it and it looked like you enjoyed it too by the way."  
"Err..." Sanji stuttered, embarrassed, blushing slightly.  
"God.. aren't you touchy?" She winked.  
All the advances she made, if anyone else would say it, it would seem wrong. But she had so much honesty in her eyes with a tint of playfulness, you just couldn't take it the wrong way.

Sanji blushed a little more and threw a look at his table just to hide his embarrassment. "What...?" He muttered.  
"What's wrong?" Annie asked.  
"Urm.. It looks like my friends left. Just... give me a minute, I'll call them."  
Sanji took out his phone and saw a text message from Ussop.

* _Hey Sanji.. Nami and Robin were really tired so we left. Sorry but we couldn't spot you after you left your seat. I'll see you around. Bye..*_

Sanji stared at the message. Trust these idiots to try and help him where he didn't need help. Nami swan and Robin chan never got tired. They had been to clubs and danced till 3 of the morning! He sighed.

"They ditched you, didn't they?" Annie asked, sipping on her soda, staring in the opposite direction as Sanji's.  
"Erm.. yes." Sanji said as he typed a reply to Ussop.  
"Hmmm.."

Sanji's shot had arrived. He downed it in one go.  
"So, Sanji, tell me your story... Why so serious?"  
Sanji laughed at the Joker reference. He really liked this girl's company.  
"Broke up recently."  
"I would never have guessed." She smiled. "C'mon. I'll drop you to your apartment. About time I repayed you for your hospitality that night." She took out some cash from the pocket of her slacks and handed it to the bartender."And your drinks are on me too. Don't try and protest." Sanji, who had opened his mouth to do just that, snapped his mouth shut, his eyes wide. Did this woman just pay for herself and him? It went totally against what he believed.  
"C'mon... what's wrong? Let's go." She smiled at him warmly. He smiled back at her and got to his feet. He wobbled slightly."Woah, easy man. You really can't handle your drinks, can you?" She chuckled, she slid an arm around his waist and took his arm around her shoulder. "God," she thought "being tall might suck."

The drive back to his apartment was quite. It was mainly because Sanji fell asleep a minute after putting his seatbelt on. When they reached his apartment, Annie poked Sanji. He woke up with a start.

"Huh.? What is it? What's wrong? Are you alright?"  
She laughed. "Yes, Hagrid, everything is fine. We reached your place."  
"Already? Didn't we just start?"  
"No, it's been an hour.. I got lost..."  
Sanji laughed again."You always get lost. You should have let me drive, Marimo."

Annie looked at Sanji with curiosity. Seriously? The man got this drunk with just 6 shots? She wasn't one to talk though. She would be there in two. She sighed and unbuckled her seatbelt. Sanji was drifting back to his sleep. She got out of the car and walked over to Sanji's side and opened his door. She unbuckled his seatbelt and half carried and half dragged him to his doorstep, locking her car before leaving it near the side walk. She searched his pocket, which was proving to be difficult as Sanji refused to be even the slightest bit self supportive. She finally found the key and took him inside and back to his bed. She had done this before, just this time, the situation was funny and not serious as the guy was not bleeding but just drunk.

She switched on his Air Conditioner and put him on his bed, removing his shoes and socks and then lifting the legs onto the bed as well. He looked peaceful in his sleep. This guy was definitely making her heart beat a little faster. She pulled his covers on him, making sure he was tucked in well. As she started to get up, he caught her hand, pulling her down so that she practically fell next to him. she supported herself on her arm, her nose 1 inch away from his, his eyes slightly open and unfocused.

"Zoro?"  
She blinked. Zoro? The guy had a breakup recently. He was gay? Did she just spend her night almost molesting a gay into kissing her? She felt bad.  
"Zoro?" Sanji blinked, eyes still unfocused.  
"No." Her voice was hoarse. She cleared her throat. "No, Sanji. It's Annie. Zoro is not here."  
Sanji blinked again, his eyes seemed to focus on her finally. She looked into his eye. She felt as the hand around her wrist started trembling and heard him gasp. She saw his eye tear up and watched as a single tear ran how the side of his eye, trailing down to his ear.  
"Sanji..." What should she do? Sanji's beautiful face reflected nothing but sadness as his frown trembled and tears rolled down his eyes and he slowly started gasping for air. She just sat there, holding his hand next to her heart as she saw him crying, feeling helpless. "Shh.. Sanji.. It's alright." She used her other hand to bring his head to her shoulder, hugging him with one arm, holding his hand in the other, trying to let him know she was there. "Sanji...". She had no clue of what she should say. She felt his tears against his cheek, pressed against her neck. Oh God... What should I do?

* * *

 ** _Yosh. Second chapter done. Next chapter is going to include ZoSan History. It's gonna be long as well. Some smut will be included in the next one. Please do review and let me know what you think about it.  
Also, if you guys want a detailed version of the pole dance, let me know, I will write it down as a side story._**


	3. Chapter 3

_**RATED M FOR MATURE CONTENT. This chapter is LONG. And took ages for me to decide what I should and shouldn't include from my "imagination box".  
**_ _ **Blackpiece, I wanna scream tooo..! It's one of the reasons why I wrote this chapter. Hope you enjoy this one too. Thank you so much for reviewing!**_

Sanji couldn't stop laughing.

"What are you laughing at Shit Cook?" Zoro asked.  
Sanji gasped for air as he tried to control his laughter,"You face! It's like you have never seen a pole dance before!"  
Zoro blushed and Sanji noticed.  
"Oh God! Don't tell me. You haven't?"  
"No, Ero Cook, I haven't." Zoro blushed an even deeper shade of red as Sanji laughed more.

Sanji had taken alot of shots today. He was better to talk to when he was drunk. He behaved properly with Zoro, almost like they both were close friends. Of course Zoro wanted more than that. He really liked the cook. He had realized his feelings a month ago and did not have the guts to tell him about it.  
"C'mon. We need to get going. You start work tomorrow don't you?"  
"Haha.. yes. Just one more shot though."  
"No, cook. No more shots. Let's go."  
"Fine fine. You are no fun at all." Sanji stood up and walked towards the exit of Skypia, Zoro hot on his trail. He(Sanji) was quite sure that he was not walking straight but no problem, Zoro was not that drunk and he could be carefree around him. Zoro never let his friends get hurt.  
"Aww maaannn.. I can't find my car.!" - Sanji  
"That is probably because you don't own one."  
"Oh... Right. Let's find the bus then."  
"Shit cook. We came on my bike."  
"Oh... Right. haha... that's like deja vu *Oh... Right*." Sanji started laughing."I am so drunk." He said suddenly, making the most serious face he ever made.

Zoro looked at him and smiled. He picked up the helmet and pulled it over Sanji's head as he stood there, eyes closed, humming. "You are a very caring person, Zoro. I wish you were like this with me when I wasn't drunk. It feels good."  
Zoro was taken aback. What did Sanji mean by that? "Errr..." was all that came out.  
Sanji opened his eyes to look at him and smiled. Zoro blushed again and pulled his helmet over his own head to hide his embarrassment. He mounted his Suzuki Hayabusa and started it. "Climb on cook."  
Sanji clambered on behind him."Hold on"

As Zoro speeded through the city, he felt Sanji bring his arms around his torso, clutching onto him as if fearing his dear life. Zoro grinned. As usual, Zoro took the wrong turn atleast 4 times before he parked near the sidewalk next to Sanji's apartment. Sanji didn't let go. "Oi, cook. We've reached. Go home."  
He felt Sanji's body tremble. "Cook..?" The trembling only increased. "Oi, cook..? You okay?"

"I don't understand it. Why do I like this closeness?"  
Zoro froze.  
"I don't get it."  
Sanji got off the bike and took the helmet off him and handed it back to Zoro. His face serious maybe even angry. He walked back towards his apartment. Zoro sat there. Then, about a second later, he followed Sanji, taking his helmet off on his way. Inside the apartment, Sanji went to wash his face with ice cold water. He splashed water on his face atleast 5 times. He came out, patting his face dry to find Zoro standing at the kitchen counter, a beer bottle in his hand, looking at Sanji with a stoic expression on his face.

"What did you mean?"  
"What?"  
"On the bike, cook. What did you mean?"  
Sanji looked at Zoro, his anger starting to rise. "Didn't you hear it Marimo? Or are your ears growing muscles too now?"  
"Cook. Tell me what you meant."  
Sanji kept staring at him. "I dont know." He said after a long pause. "I don't know what I meant. I love women. I love how they walk and talk. It's graceful. But here I am. It's been around a month since I started getting attracted to you and it scares me. I am not gay. I don't know what this means." He sighed. "Go home, Marimo. You probably don't even want to look at me anymore."

Zoro stood where he was, staring at Sanji. Then he kept the beer down at walked to the cook. "What if I told you that it's mutual, cook? What if I told you I have feelings for you too?"  
"What..?"  
"You heard me. I have feelings for you too."  
They stood 1 foot apart, staring at each other, searching for something in each other's face. Then, out of no where, a foot came flying, hitting Zoro on his ribs, knocking him to the ground.  
"What the hell cook?"  
Before Zoro could recover, Sanji was straddling him, pulling him up by his collar. "You bastard. Is this a joke to you? I am being serious. Don't mock me."  
Zoro grabbed Sanji's hands and flipped them so he was on the top. He held Sanji's hands above his head and bent down, staring into those blue eyes. "I am not mocking you. The feelings are mutual." Sanji stopped the knee kick he was going to land on Zoro's ass and kept looking into his eyes. They stared at each other for a long time.

Sanji smiled,"Okay".

-:-

The aroma of hot brewing coffee woke him up. It smelt like heaven. His stomach grumbled as he stretched. Sleeping on the sofa really does a number on your back.  
"Morning Marimo."  
Zoro turned around to see Sanji standing behind his kitchen counter. He grinned. "Morning." He got off the couch and went to the bathroom. Last night, the two had confessed their feelings for each other and then lay on the floor, laughing till they felt breathless and Sanji fell asleep, overtaken by the drinks. Sanji really looked peaceful when he fell asleep. He (Zoro) had taken Sanji to his room and bundled him up and came out to sleep on the sofa, not wanting to invade the cook's private space.  
Now, the nerves were kicking in. What next? Were things going to be any different? Should he behave different. He stood infront of the mirror, brushing his teeth with the extra toothbrush he had found in the cook's cabinet. By the time he was done in the bathroom, he had decided to act normal unless hinted otherwise.  
Walking out of the room he noticed that the table was laid. Sanji had cooked Salamis with toast and butter with coffee. It looked like a simple meal but knowing Sanji, the Salami's were probably going to taste out of this world. He looked around to see where the cook had gone. "Oi. Cook?"  
"What, Marimo?" Sanji looked at him from his bedroom doorway, buttoning up his shirt, his chest still bare. Zoro's heart hammered. "What? Why did you call?"  
"Erm.. Where's the milk and sugar? For the coffee?"  
"Take it without it. It wont taste good that ways"  
Sanji entered his own living room having buttoned up his shirt, his collarbones still visible.  
They ate in silence.  
"So, how long have you had feelings for me?" - Sanji  
"Urm... about a month..."  
"I see.. when exactly?"  
Zoro scowled. It felt like he was sitting in an interview. "Club. The day you were hooking up with that girl."  
"Ah.. Lilly. She was cute."  
"Hmmm.. What about you? When did you realize you had feelings for me?"  
"I guess.. a few days later.. When you got into a fight with Mihawk after one of your underground sparring sessions."  
"Really?"  
"Mmmh.. Though you were going to die. Scared the shit out of me. I could barely control your bleeding.."

Throughout the entire conversation, the two kept looking at their plates, not meeting each others eye.

-:-

"How was your first day?"  
"Urm.. was okay... They basically introduced me to everyone and stuff. Will let me cook from tomorrow..."  
Zoro and Sanji lay on the park garden infront of the restaurant Sanji had started working in. It was around 9 and Zoro had surprised Sanji by coming by his work to accompany him home. They decided to take a stroll in the park as the weather was clement. They had found a spot which did not have many sky looked beautiful with different strokes of navy blue to black. The stars glimmered from them like diamonds and the crescent moon stood out with it's luminescent glow. Sanji sighed as he admired the beauty in his mind. He felt content. Zoro was looking at Sanji, not the slightest bit interested in the sky but was marveling the beautiful white skin the cook looked nothing less than beautiful, laying there, hands beneath his head, staring at the sky with his visible blue eyes which reflected the million stars. Zoro was probably losing it. He huffed and turned to support himself on his elbows, still gazing at the cook. Sanji turned to look at him and smiled lazily, his cigarette wavering as he did.

It happened without planning. Zoro inclined himself closer to the cook while Sanji raised himself, removing his cigarette as he did. They closed the distance between them, slowly. Their lips locked in place as the two stayed like that for a few moments before breaking the small kiss. Zoro grinned and before any of them knew what was happening, he was on top of Sanji, his one arm around the cooks waist while the other hand went around his neck as Sanji's arms went around Zoro's neck, one hand in his hair while the other arm relaxed on his shoulder. They looked at each other for a second before they attacked each other's mouths.  
Zoro pulled the cook closer as he licked the cook's lips, asking for permission to explore. His lips were soft. Oh so soft. He couldn't get enough of the cook and as the cook opened his lips, Zoro all but plundered his mouth, he explored, licking ever bit of him, tasting the tobacco, tasting his sweet taste. Their tongues fought for domination, Sanji losing. Zoro pulled Sanji up so that Sanji straddled him while he himself sat on the soft ground, never breaking the kiss. Sanji pulled at Zoro's hair. He had never been kissed this way before and had never able to kiss anyone this way either. He wanted to claim Zoro's mouth. He wanted to explore as well but he was left helpless as the swordsman kissed him. Feeling their tongues clash and sucking on his tongue when he could.  
Zoro broke the kiss to claim Sanji's neck. They were both breathless but didn't want to stop. Zoro licked Sanji's pulse before closing his lips over it and sucked. Sanji gasped, his head falling onto Zoro's shoulder. Zoro grinned and alternated between licking and sucking his throat, his lips not leaving the cook's skin for even a second. Sanji grinded against Zoro's Stomach on reflex, he felt breatheless.. 

"You know... This is a kid's park." The two froze as they heard Nami's voice. They sat there, holding onto each other, not wanting break their embrace, eyes stuck to the ground in horror.  
"Seriously guys. Get a room!" Ace laughed.  
Could this get any worse?  
"I swear I almost saw Sanji orgasm right now!" Franky said.  
Did they unknowingly challenge the situation?  
"Ne.. They look good together." Robin chuckled  
"We need to face them.." Sanji whispered.  
"Yup. I guess we do."  
Still staring at the ground, the two got off of each other and stood up.  
"It's like we caught you stealing or something" Luffy laughed.  
That made their head snap up to find all of their friends standing there, grinning at them.

"Finally," said Nami "We thought you both would never figure it out.!"  
"What?" Sanji asked  
"Bro... your neck is all blue!" Franky winked.  
Sanji blushed when everyone, including Zoro, stared at his neck.  
"Cut it out.." He muttered, buttoning up his shirt. When did Zoro unbutton it?  
"Hahaha... You guys! Finally! We felt the tension between the to of you would kill us!" Chopper said.  
"Yohohoho.. Young love." Brook laughed.

Zoro and Sanji were never going to forget this day.

-:-

Zoro was moving in with Sanji.. They had been together for four months no and Zoro thought it was stupid that they lived separately as he ended up in Sanji's apartment almost every night.

-:-

Sanji had got a car, BMW X1.  
Zoro stood waiting for him when he drove it into their parking space, grinning like a maniac. "Hop in.! Time for a ride!"  
Zoro did as he was told, leaning in to give Sanji a peck on his cheek before buckling his seat belt.  
Sanji all but wondered how comfortable they had gotten. They had been together for a little over an year now. He grinned as he released the clutch.

-:-

Zoro took a forkful of Lasagna "Cook, this is practically heaven. You will definitely get the permit and loan. I don't understand what you are worried about."  
"Oh, I'm not worried."  
Zoro grunted at that.  
Sanji smiled at him as he sat across the table, face resting on his palm as he saw Zoro enjoy his stood up and walked over to his marimo when they were done eating and ruffled his hair before picking up the plates and walking over to the sink to clean the dishes. Zoro came after a min and helped him. When that too was done, Zoro kissed Sanji before leaving for his underground sparring matches.  
It had been a year and half.

-:-

"Ah , hah"

Sanji was moaning. It was midnight and he was sweating, his nails leaving marks on Zoro's scalp as the swordsman played with his nipple with one hand, entering him using his fingers with the other and sucking the cook's cock. Zoro had got some Nutella (and some means little.) and coated a very thin layer on Sanji's member. He now sucked on it, humming when he took him in, licking all around it, and sucking just the right amount as he pulled him out. He stopped at the edge, letting just the head of the dick stay in his mouth as he sucked it while licking the vein throbbing, occasionally using his tongue to apply pressure at the tip before taking the cook in again as much as he could, feeling it touch the back of his throat and hummed again.

Sanji felt as the swordsman deep throated him, feeling the vibrations from his hums travel up his cock and also felt the throat clench him. He was moaning loudly, pushing his hips up when ever Zoro teased his tip.  
"Ah.. Zoro.. I can't.."  
He felt zoro smile around him as he felt his cock pop free and whimpered slightly.  
"How do you want it?" Zoro's hand left his entrance as he held his ass, leaving a trail of kisses up Sanji's stomach, pausing to dip his tongue in his navel and licked from there to his nipple, biting it lightly before sucking and licking it. He proceeded up to the cooks throat, leaving a trail of kisses before claiming his mouth, settling himself between the cook's legs, grinding their cooks together.

Sanji moaned into the kiss along with Zoro. He flipped them, straddling him as he grinded himself onto the elder man, deepening their kiss and dominating it. He sat up, on his knees, and held Zoro's cock upright as he took it in, adjusting to the length before he stared moving and closed the distance between the two again, his stomach resting against the tanned one, his cock grinding the same. He kissed the swordsman. Zoro's hands came onto Sanji's hips as he supported the cook, moving his hips to meet the rhythm. They both moaned into the kiss, which broke,as Zoro came inside Sanji as he arched his back. Zoro took Sanji's member in his hand and stroked it slowly after coming down from his high. Sanji was still riding Zoro's softening member, slowly. As Zoro stroked him, he(Sanji) moved his hips to match the motion of his hands. He came soon after, his body going lax as he slumped onto Zoro, as Zoro kissed his shoulder.

Five minutes later, they both were cuddled together, Zoro already asleep. Sanji snuggled a little into Zoro's chest as he felt complete, waiting for sleep to come.

-:-

Sanji lay there, crying into Annie's shoulder. He had to leave it all behind. He had felt complete around Zoro but he was gone, gone without thinking what it would do to the cook. He felt empty and alone.

 _ **So... yeah. I tried. The next chapter will be a little delayed as I start my Industrial training from tomorrow and study for so many entrance exams BUT it will be out. Give it two days, maybe three.**_

 _ **Please do review after reading, it fires me up. Let me know where you want me to improve. ;)  
Until next time!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Rated M for torture and drug use.  
There is no smut in this chapter. In the previous three chapters, I feel that I have kind of presented Sanji either depressed or submissive and Sanji is both of those things, but he can definitely kick some dirty ass. So there is some action in this one to get Sanji on his toes.  
Blackpiece, I suck at smut so bad ._. (no pun intended). This was the first time I wrote it and it felt a little weird. I will improve on it. :D You're an amazing reader. You actually read it the way I would want to read it myself. Thank you so much! And about the shot, XD. Keep reviewing!**_

Sanji was snoring. A small bubble that had formed at the end of his nose threatened to burst as he exhaled.  
The sunlight was streaming into the room, lighting up the whole room. The room was clean. On the king sized bed, two people lay, asleep, huddled to one side of the bed leaving the other untouched. Annie lay half on top of Sanji. One of her legs on the bed while the other almost touched the ground. If anyone were to walk into the room right now, they would think that Annie was probably drunk when she fell on top Sanji. It looked comical.

The bubble finally popped as Sanji's phone rang, playing his favorite song (Wake me up, Avicii). He tried reaching his pocket without moving the girl. Seriously, one wrong move and she would probably fall off the bed. He extracted his phone from his pocket and answered without seeing the caller ID.

"...elo?"  
"Sanji... Thank Goodness. Nami kicked me out again. Can I come over to your place for breakfast?"  
"Whose this?"  
"... Ace..."  
"... mmm... Ace... Oh.. Ace.. Hey.. What time is it?"  
"It's 9 "  
"Oh... What's up?"  
"I got thrown out again. Can I come over to eat at your place?"  
"mm... Why are you calling me to ask? You never do that.."  
"I.. err... Didn't want to disturb you."  
"You're not talking sense."  
"Is that a yes?"  
"Yeah.. come over.. I'll cook"  
"Cool.. See you in half an hour."  
"mm.. bye"

Sanji groaned, feeling a weight on his chest. He paused the process of rubbing his eyes and looked down to see black hair, losing their curled texture and looking like soft waves. His eyes widened. Did he...? Had he...? Ah. No.. He had his clothes on and apparently so did this girl. This girl...? Wait.. exactly what happened last night? Then memories of the last night came pouring in. And as that happened, he couldn't help but feel a rush of gratitude towards Annie. It was then overtaken by embarrassment. He got up on his elbows, holding Annie the best way he could at that angle and shifted so that she was properly lying on the bed. Her shoulders felt cold. He looked at her properly. She was in her slacks and tank top and hadn't even taken off her heels. She probably fell asleep on him when he wouldn't let her hand go. From the looks of it, she wasn't planning on it. He felt guilty. She didn't have the comforter on her either. He immediately got out of bed and took off her heels, her feet looked red. Then he bundled her up in his comforter. He moved the hair out of her face, some strands falling into her mouth. She looked calm and serene. He could look at her for a long while but not get bored. She had something in her that attracted him towards her though he was totally against it.

He shook his head and headed to the bathroom. He needed to bathe. His heart felt a little light today and he hummed as he searched for a new pair of casual tee and shorts.

-:-

"So... You seem to be in a good mood today."  
"mmm..?"  
Sanji was standing behind his kitchen counter, flipping the pancakes as they cooked. Ace had arrived just five minutes ago and had been grinning ever since, which was weird because he had just been kicked out by Nami again. Ace was a beast and Nami was a Goddess. If she threw him out, there had to be a good reason behind it.  
"I said... You seem to be in a good mood today."  
Sanji looked up from his pan to look at Ace, slowly realizing what Ace was trying to imply.  
"There it is... You guys really hit it off, didn't you?"  
"No, Ace. Nothing happened."  
"There is a car outside your sidewalk and it isn't yours."  
"That's Annie's, I guess", Sanji shrugged "But nothing happened. Really."  
Ace opened him mouth to speak again but he was interrupted by a song. A song which Sanji now realized was probably the ringtone to Annie's phone and the sound was coming from his room. Ace grinned like that just proved a point.  
Eminem's song (Rap God) kept playing till the phone disconnected. It rang again after 5 seconds.  
"Your pancakes are burning.."  
Sanji smelt burning pancakes and hurried to flip it off on a plate.  
The song stopped playing again.

"You better have a good reason to call."  
Silence followed for about a whole minute while Sanji cooked more pancakes and Ace followed his every move.  
"I'll be there in an hour or two."  
Silence followed again for about 20 seconds before  
"I don't care. I'll be there in three hours... Well you're acting like a jerk and another word from your mouth and it'll be four hours... Right. Bye."

"She sounds feisty!" Ace said.  
Sanji chuckled as he finally laid the table."She might be..."  
As Sanji and Ace sat down to eat, Annie came out from Sanji's room and walked straight to the bathroom, not even caring to look at who were in the room. Much to Sanji's amusement, Ace was so much into food that he didn't even notice her till she banged the door shut. She came out a minute later, the extra toothbrush that Sanji always kept in his cabinet in her mouth. She noticed Sanji and Ace and blinked. Her eyes were doped with sleep and she looked a little confused. Then she shrugged and sat between them, picking up the remote from the table and switching on the LCD and flipping through the channels to settle on the local news channel.

She got up after that to leave for the bathroom and came back a minute later,toothbrush gone, reclaiming the seat between the two boys and picked a pancake in her hand and started eating as she saw the news. Sanji and Ace just stared at her as they ate, not wanting to break the silence.  
"... and the Police refuse to share any information regarding how they know so much about the Donquixote family. The evidences are strong and the bail request has been denied."  
The clip was showing a tall tanned Blonde man wearing pink fur being cuffed and forced into the Police Vehicle. He wore pink goggles.

"About time.." Annie said "Bastard had it coming."  
Sanji looked at her. He wondered if she had anything to do with this case. She was an undercover agent or something, wasn't she? Ace being Ace kept eating paying no attention to the news. Gulping down the pancake in his mouth he cleared his throat."Hey.. I don't think we have met."  
Annie looked at him and smiled "My.. I guess we haven't. Nice to meet you Ace."  
Ace looked at her a little surprised "How do you know my name?"  
"I heard Sanji talking to you in the morning." She was speaking with her mouth full.  
Ace grinned and looked at Sanji with a look in his eyes which was screaming "I knew it".  
Sanji scowled "Eat and leave. I got work to do."  
"Have you known Sanji for a long time?" Annie asked. Sanji gave her a surprised look.  
"Yes.. Around six years."  
She smiled and kept eating silently after that.  
"Would you like something else?" Sanji asked  
Annie didn't meet his eyes. "No.. thanks..."

Ace arched an eyebrow and looked at Sanji. Annie got up after a few minutes and went to Sanji's room again. As soon as she was in his room, Ace asked Sanji "I know you have been gay for 2 years but I remember a few girls who yearned to do it with you again when you weren't. You couldn't have gotten that bad!"  
Sanji laughed. "I told you.. Nothing happened between us!"  
"Seriously? No wonder she won't even look at you."  
"Hmm.."

Ace left soon after that. Sanji entered his room hesitantly. Annie was sitting on his bed, wrapped up in the comforter, her eyes closed and knees brought up to her chest, head resting on them and arms hugging the legs. She looked a little sad. Sanji knocked on the door to announce his presence "Annie San... I.. "  
She looked up to see him then, her eyes still doped with sleep. But she was smiling. She interrupted him before he could speak.  
"I am sorry. I didn't know you liked guys. I would never have tried kissing you if I knew..."  
It took Sanji a minute to understand what she was saying.. His face changing his expression from apologetic to confused to retrospecting to realization to surprised. Annie thought she had forced herself on him and that is why she was acting distant. He stood there for about a second after realizing what she was saying and then burst out laughing, causing Annie to pout.  
"What's so funny?"  
"you... hah... you are sitting there and worried about... forcing? yourself on me? I am straight!"  
Annie looked so confused that Sanji laughed a little more and went the sit on his bed too, crossing his legs and facing her.  
"Zoro.. was an exception o my *girls only* rule. We had a connection and I will never turn gay for anyone else at all. It just felt right and comfortable with him. I can't see any other guy the way I saw him. It's impossible."  
Sanji smiled and Annie grinned.  
"So I didn't molest you?"  
"My dear," Sanji said, taking her hand in his and giving it a small kiss "You use extremely harsh words. I doubt a lady such as yourself could even harm a fly, even though I have seen evidence to the contrary." She laughed, lowering her legs to cross them like Sanji. She squeezed his hand and grinned.  
"Thanks"  
Sanji smiled again and without thinking leaned in a little and so did she. Their lips met and they kissed for about 5 seconds before he felt her smile and break the sweet moment. She grinned at the look on his face. "Now that I know you are straight, I am not really going to stop trying to steal kisses from you, specially when you seem up to it."  
Sanji all but smiled back meekly, not knowing what to say or do. He didn't know why he had reacted like this. "Hey.." She said, placing her hand on his cheek,"It's okay.. I know you aren't ready for it. I won't make a move till you don't. I'll .. errr.. I'll be an actual lady about it."  
Sanji chuckled and took the hand she had on his cheek in his free hand and sighed. His head fell a little, their foreheads resting against each other. "Thank you." He whispered. "Thank you for last night and now... and sorry about yesterday."  
"You don't need to apologize or thank me."  
"But I do.. I."  
"No.. please. Don't. It hurt me to see you like that last night. I don't know what happened between you and this Zoro but I am guessing it was something serious. Don't apologize for something like that."  
Sanji sighed again and hugged her, snuggling into her neck, and felt her inhale deeply, her face in his hair. She hugged him back, taking in the smell of his shampoo and a little tobacco that lingered there. She felt her own heart flutter and her cheeks burn slightly.

-:-

"So, you have a new case now?" Sanji asked as he put on his jacket. He had changed into his jeans after realizing he was getting late for work.  
Annie grinned. "You guessed han? Yeah.. Mingo is in the prison now. It was sooner than I wanted it to be... I wanted him to be caught red handed, leave no stone unturned. The guy has been so clean in all his work, it's unnerving. His lawyers are still going to fight and catching him red handed would have been an evidence that couldn't be manipulated." She was wearing jeans too with a white tank top and dark black sneakers. *I carry a change in my car* she had said.  
Sanji grinned too.. "I am guessing you won't tell me about your next one?"  
"Nope. Not a chance." She stuck out her tongue, pausing in the act of drinking her coffee.

Sanji sat at the sofa, next to her, putting on his boots and tying them up. Annie sat at the other end of the sofa, sipping on coffee, ready. She had told Sanji she would get ready in 15 minutes and Sanji knowing ladies was ready to wait for an hour before she could leave, but she surprised him by getting ready in 15 mins and then he had to hurry to get ready.  
"Which restaurant do you own?"  
"All Blue... It's just two blocks right from here.."  
"Hmmm.. All Blue.. You love your eyes that much?"  
"No.." Sanji chuckled, putting his other boot on,"It's a book I read when I was a kid. It motivates me to keep cooking better."  
"Hmm.. Your pancakes and coffee tasted out of this world, I can't wait to try your main dishes."  
"Why don't I come over after work and cook a lavish dinner for you?"  
"Urmm... Is it alright if I come over to your place after work?"  
"Sure.. whatever you are comfortable with.." Sanji smiled.

They exchanged numbers and Sanji headed for his restaurant while Annie headed to the Police Headquaters. She was smiling. This was the first date she got in years. She was a little excited.

-:-

"Are you serious?"  
Annie was in Smoker's office, laying on the sofa while Tashigi sat on one of the chairs infront of his workdesk.  
"Yup. Mingo will get out easy. Catching him red handed was the only solid proof that couldn't be manipulated. You guys hurried it up."  
"We'll cross that bridge when we reach it. Right now, we got a new guy. Enel. Drug dealer, human trafficking and a weird obsession with electric weapons. Has a lose screw. Considers himself God."  
"Well, don't they all?"  
Smoker glared at Annie. Tashigi cleared her throat.  
"We really need your help for this one. We have been trailing him for a couple of months and the only way we can get a spy inside is if he dates them. Unfortunately, the girls he dates either end up being sold off or addicted to drugs to the extent that they attempt suicide due to drug deprivation."  
"And I am a candidate for that?"  
Smoker spoke before Tashigi could. "We know you can take him if he tries anything."  
Annie looked at Smoker for the first time since she had arrived. They looked at each other for a minute then she sighed.  
"Fine. Fill me in. How will I date him exactly?"  
Tashigi looked a little guilty. "He picks up girls from a dating website. We already registered you on it a month ago. He finally noticed you."  
Annie arched an eyebrow.  
"I see. So, when do I meet him?"  
"Tonight." Smoker huffed.

-:-

Annie had texted Sanji , telling him that she had to bail and was sorry about it and wondered if he was up for meeting the next day. He had replied with heart eyes emojis saying that it was not a problem and he would be waiting.  
If everything went according to plan, Enel would be interested enough in her to prefer getting her addicted to drugs rather than taking her to a selling house. If that happened, he would take her along with him to the deal he had to close that night.  
Annie thought back on what Smoker told him.  
"He picks up a new girl every week. If they are rich, he takes them home to use them physically and then makes sure that the girls are given drugs on a regular basis for 2 weeks before depriving them of it so that they pay him in exchange of the drugs. He usually does this to girls who are either rich or belong to a rich family. The girls, who are however more unfortunate end up being sold after he practically rapes them with his group of friends at a whore house."  
Annie had heard it all and remained calm, maintaining a neutral expression.

Right now, she stood at the Lobby of Hotel Grand Line, waiting for her 'date' to come. She was wearing a beautiful long red dress which showed off her curves just right. Her makeup was perfect. Smokey eyes, blood red lipstick, contoured cheeks flushed with mild blush. Her hair were tied up in a neat and graceful French bun, a long fringe falling along one side of her face.

"He is obsessed with Gold," Tashigi had said. "Wear as much gold as you can."  
Following the orders, Annie wore long gold danglers, a gold bangle on each wrist and the heels she wore were gold colored too. Even the clutch purse she held had gold studded in it.

Every person sitting in the Lobby was attracted towards her.  
"You must be Lisa?"  
Annie turned around, her face changing her expression from boredom to that of innocent impatience and jolliness, the way one would have on their first date with their crush.  
She faced a tall man with pierced ears, blonde hair and sharp features.  
She faked a blush, opened her mouth as if to speak but then closed it, looking down and nodded, smiling.  
"You're even more beautiful that the profile showed you to be." He bowed and took her hand in his and gave it a small kiss. She faked a blush again and held his hand like it was the end of the world.  
"Thank you, Enel Sama."  
"Please, call me Enel. Shall we?"  
She nodded again as he escorted her to the entrance of the hotel. A limousine stood there, the chauffeur holding the door open. "Oh.. Enel... This car is so big..."  
Enel smiled at her,"Yes, it's expensive too."  
"Really?" Annie said as she climbed in. "Oh.. It's so roomy. You have more cars like this?"  
"Of course I do.." He said as he clambered in after her. As the chauffeur started the vehicle, he leaned uncomfortably close to her. She blushed again and fidgeted with the lock of hair falling on her face. "My dear, where do you work?"  
"Papa says I don't need to work. He gives me everything I ask for. He says I don't have to think or work. I just need to enjoy life." She gave him a smile a child would give when they talk about their favorite actor or actress.  
"Oh.. Your father really loves you, doesn't he?"  
"Yes.. But he works so much.. He barely gets any time to spend with me. He just sends me his hard earned money."  
"Hmmm..."  
Enel knocked on the window separating them from the driver. The window was lowered. "Sir?"  
"Shura, take us to the restaurant first."  
"Sure sir."

About half an hour of sissy behaviour later, Enel and Annie were sitting on a table at "All Blue".  
"This is one of the finest restaurants in the city. I hope it's food is to your liking."  
"You are so caring, Enel San."  
Annie was not pleased.

Enel snapped his fingers at a waiter passing him. "Bring the most expensive Wine you have!"  
"Ah! Enel... I am allergic to alcoholic drinks. I am so sorry. I should have told you before.." – Lisa (Annie)  
"Oh.. It's no problem my dear. What would you like to drink?"  
Lisa giggled. "Pepsi"  
"You heard the lady. Get me the Wine. And hurry."

"Of-course sir."

The waiter hurried to the Cellar where they stored their Alcohols. On his way inside, he bumped into Sanji. "Kin, why are you running?"  
"Enel is here again.."  
"Is he?Is it a meeting or is he with another lady?"  
"A lady.."  
"Poor thing. Why am I not allowed to kick him out again?"  
"He is one the people who funded the Restaurant."  
"I thought I had already paid him back what I owed him with interest."  
"You did."  
"Hmm.. okay... Go serve the other tables. I will serve him today."  
Kin looked relieved and retreated. Sanji went to the Cellar again and picked a good wine. Enel knew nothing about wines. He just liked to show off his wallet. But the lady didn't deserve spending a bad time just because he was such a shit head. He picked up two glasses from the rack and proceeded to the dining hall. The lady sat with her back to him, her shoulders slightly tense. The bastard had probably scared her. He walked over to their table.  
He placed the glasses on the table.  
"Didn't I tell you to... Oh... Mr. Blackleg. How are you?"  
"Good, , How are you?"  
"I'm amazing as always. Here on a date. This is Lisa Pink."  
Sanji turned to look at the lady he was being introduced to, opening his mouth to greet her.

Their eyes met and for a second, Sanji saw a warning in them before they turned clueless and bright. He stared at Annie for a few seconds, his mind blank, surprised. Snapping out of it, he bowed, took her hand in his and kissed it. "It's an honour to have you here, Miss Lisa Pink. I am the head chef, Sanji Blackleg. I am going to be serving both of you today as we are a little short on staff."  
Lisa giggled "Thank you."

Sanji turned back to Enel. "So, what will it be today?"  
"Get the most expensive appetizer you have, followed by the most expensive main course and the most expensive dessert after that."  
"Sure." He nodded and went towards the kitchen, deciding to serve what he knew Annie might enjoy.

About an hour later, he was serving heated chocolate truffle slabs to the two sitting on his table. Annie looked extremely uncomfortable. "Excuse me miss... Would you like to order something else?"  
"Urm.. No.. Thank you."  
She looked at him, her eyes trying to convey a message but looked away a moment later, and picked up her spoon to eat.  
"Why don't you get us the bill, Sanji?" – Enel.  
"Of course."  
Sanji went to get the bill for the two, wondering what Annie was trying to say.

Half an hour earlier:  
"You know, Annie, is it? Your acting is superb. I wasn't expecting you to last so long, especially not after meeting your friend."  
Annie froze, her fork at the entrance of her mouth. She looked at Enel.  
Fuck.  
"Now, don't worry. Shura already removed the tracking device you placed in my limousine and your mobile signal has been cut."  
Annie smiled her real smile, her face losing the fakeness, her shoulders relaxed and she sat back in her chair, finally taking the chicken in her mouth. The food was amazing. She had never tasted anything like it and enjoyed it.  
"Oh well, what gave me away?"  
"Don't act all cool with me, you bitch."  
She looked at him, her face not losing her smile, her eyes laughing now. "What are you expecting me to do? Scream?"  
"You should be scared of me."  
" I don't have to be anything for you. You are just a mafia boss I have to get behind the bars, with proof. So let's talk as we eat. What gave me away?"  
Enel looked at her with madness in his eyes. "You remember the guy you beat up around a week ago near the North Lane?" Annie nodded "That was one of my men. I went to meet him in the prison. He told me all about you."  
"So almost everyone you know is a rapist. I still don't understand one thing though, why go and meet a lowlife? As far as I know, you don't give a damn about people unless they give you money."  
"He had traded off some drugs. He was carrying the money he got for it that night. No-one was free so I had to go to meet him to know where he kept it."  
"Hmm... I see. So why did you plan meet me today?"  
"To send a message to the Police force. They are getting way too interfering. Maybe a victim in their midst and they will fall back."  
Annie laughed. "What makes you think I will fall in to be a victim?"  
"Because, if you don't, Shura will shoot Blackleg."  
Annie lost the smile and glared at him. "Are you threatening me?"  
Enel smiled "I told you, you should be scared of me."  
"Is that a yes?"  
"Yes."  
Annie sat there, staring at him.  
"What makes you so sure that I won't create a scene here?"  
Enel grinned and took out his phone from his pocket. "Your accomplice, the one hired to keep a lookout on us, here he is."  
He showed her a photograph of a dark haired boy tied to a chair and gagged. He looked unconscious. You could see a man holding a gun to his head.  
"You bastard. You're playing with the police."  
He sighed. "Yes. You fools are not even corrupt. I can't buy you off. Now, you wench , act normal infront of your friend or this guy," he shook his phone "dies and later so does Sanji."  
Sanji arrived then, carrying delicious looking slabs of cake.

-:-

Sanji kept a close look at them. Something wasn't right. Wasn't Annie supposed to act all giggly and stuff infront of this guy? He had understood she was on a mission when she gave him a warning look. It felt a little weird with how she behaved, like she didn't know him. But right now she was behaving like herself. He got even more confused when before leaving; she looked at him and then walked outside.  
He called Taijo and told him that he was leaving.  
He saw Annie get into a Limo and saw Enel get in too. He took out his phone and headed for where his car was parked. He called Annie. The call went straight to the voicemail. Something didn't feel right. He followed the limo at a safe distance. He searched through his contact list and found who he was looking for.  
"Hello.?"  
"Hello, Tashigi?"

-:-

Shura laughed. "The kid is following us. It's as if he wants to be killed."  
Enel laughed. Annie scowled.  
"I am doing what you are telling me to do. Leave those two out of this now."  
" We would my dear but the boy wants to tag along and Law is just too handsome to let go. We actually have a few people who are interested in men. He will be a fine specimen."  
Annie gasped. "You bastard." With that, she banged Enel's head on the window at his end, twisting one of his arms and holding it behind his back and pushing him into the window with the other.

"Oi! You bitch. Get off him!" Shura screamed.  
"Free Law. Free him now."  
"Why you.." Enel spoke against the window.  
She felt something pierce her back and felt unbearable pain run up her spine. She gasped, losing control, she let go of Enel.  
"You whore!" Enel punched her on her face, causing her to mouth to fill with blood.  
The pain running up her back stopped but she felt like she was made of Jelly, the blood in her mouth went in her windpipe and she coughed.  
"Let's take her to the podium. She deserves to be sold off. Take us to that inn before that."  
"Right."  
She opened her eyes slightly, Enel was holding a syringe in his hand. He took off the cap and flicked it twice before getting it close to her arm. She couldn't move and watched in horror as the needle went inside her. She felt him pull out her blood first and then inject the contents of the syringe.  
"This is my drug. The one you people want to stop using. See how it feels inside your body. I will make you addicted to it.

Shura, lose that idiot. I'll deal with him later."

-:-

She was laying on something soft. A bed? Everything around her was blurred, she heard some muffled voices around her. She heard someone laugh. She blinked. Nothing changed. She closed her eyes. She wanted to sleep.

"Look at her. How many injections did you give her?" Shura asked.  
"Four... People get affected by one but nothing happened to her. The third one got her in a mildly drunk state. I just gave her the fourth."  
"Don't overdose her! We don't want her dead!"  
"Yes, don't worry. Just one more after a little while though. Then we can play with her all we want."  
They both laughed.

-:-

Pain. There was so much pain. She felt another shot of pain shoot up her leg and screamed. What was going on? She didn't do anything to deserve this. She just wanted to go home.

-:-

Sanji heard someone screaming. Him and the police force next to him all froze where they stood. The scream made his inside curl and he got goose bumps. There was so much pain in it.

Tashigi had heard all that he had to say on the phone. She had told him to keep trailing them at a safe distance and she would get back to him in a few. She called him back in a few telling him that he was right and the plan had not gone the way they wanted it to.  
"They will probably try their best to lose you. Make sure you let them believe you did. Follow them till wherever they are going and inform me about it. We are already headed in your direction. Don't do anything till I come."  
A couple of seconds later, he could see the limo trying to lose him. He had tried to keep up for a few minutes. Then, when he got the opportunity, he had faked losing them and then followed them to a rundown inn. He had called Tashigi and waited impatiently for her to arrive. Those had been very long ten minutes and he had smoked through five cigarettes.  
It had taken Tashigi less than 10 seconds to make the receptionist reveal where they (Enel and others) were. 4th floor. Sanji had insisted on coming with.  
Another scream reached his ears and he ran. What the fuck were those people doing? He reached the door and kicked it open, not caring to see if the police followed him or not. One look at the place and his blood boiled.

Annie's wrists were tied up and attached to a hook on the low ceiling of the room. Her feet weren't even touching the ground. He hung there, her clothes ripped as if torn apart by a knife. From below the knees, she was covered in blood. The deep cuts visible round her knees.

Enel was looking at him surprised and so was another guy who was in his restaurant that day.  
"You bastard." He ran into the room, kicking Enel on the face, sending him flying to one end of the room and kicking Shura on his neck making him topple down where he stood. Tashigi came running into the room, her eyes widening in horror.  
"Men! Arrest these two. Get them behind the bars." She all but screeched as she ran towards Annie. "Sanji, call an 911. Let them know we are coming."  
Sanji did as he was told. When he was done he helped Tashigi undo the knots around Annie's wrist.  
"Is she conscious?"  
Sanji looked at Annie's face. Her left cheek was bruised and her hair were a mess. Her breathing was uneven. "I don't know. But I think we must hurry.."  
"Yes." Tashigi stood. Sanji noticed she had needles in her hand.  
"What are those?"  
"She has been drugged. There are six empty syringes here. They overdosed her. We need to hurry."  
Sanji all but started running out side his room, down the stairs and to his car. Overdosed. The fuck...?

 _ **I wrote a much better version of this, sitting in front of the laptop and just typing for 5 whole hours and suddenly my laptop restarts and I lose everything I wrote. (Online document, not MSWord.). I rewrote all I could in the past 4 hours. It's 4:30 AM.  
**_ _ **I know I promised an upset Zoro in the next chapter but his re-appearance will be postponed to at-least 2 more chapters.  
Next chapter will be out in another 2 days, maybe 3. Please leave a review and let me know what you want from Annie and Sanji in this. Smut, fluff etc etc.  
Also, let me know where I need to improve.  
Until next time! :D**_


	5. Update

Hey.. No new chapter yet. Just here to post an update.

The story in my mind for this fanfic is quite long and I feel writing it in a hurry will spoil what I wish to show. Annie is a character I created. One Piece has no female character that could match Zoro or Sanji in their fighting skills except maybe Bonney, though even she was shown to fall weak infront of Blackbeard (who didn't). S, if you want, you can imagine Bonney with black hair. But I really need to set a clear image of what Annie is like which is why these first few chapters are kind of focused on her.

This is the first time I am writing a story so please excuse the grammatical errors. I am trying to improve, taking pointers from a few writers whom I love reading.

New chapter posting will be delayed as this story is going to progress slowly. But hopefully you will enjoy it. The next chapter will be focused on Annie as well, revealing a little bit of her dark past.

Thanks to all the viewers out there :) and please excuse me for not being able to post a new chapter..


	6. Chapter 5

_**Hai! RATED M FOR DRUG USE.  
**_ _ **So, I took some time to write this chapter and also started another thread for smut and fluff one shots so I got a little side tracked.  
**_ _ **Blackpiece, your English is just fine! You don't need to worry bout it! :D I am glad you reviewed. It fires me up to keep writing. I was happy when I read that you imagine Nico Robin when you read about Annie :D Just imagine her a little more Tanned and short. (5foot 3inches) but sexy none the less 3:)  
**_ _ **I'll keep your review in mind when I write the Sanji x Annie or ZoSan smut! Thanks and keep reviewing!**_

-:-

"... so we can't give her any other medication. We just need to wait till it gets out of her system. Her wounds were thankfully not that deep. A few stitches did the trick. She'll be back to her healthy self in six to seven hours." Chopper concluded his long report. He stood in the waiting room surrounded by Tashigi, Smoker, Sanji and 5 other police officers.  
Sanji sighed "Thank Goodness. Can we meet her?"  
"That's not a good idea" Smoker interjected before Chopper could respond.  
Sanji turned to look at him, surprised. Chopper nodded. "Yes. I agree. But it seems like you have known her for quite a while so it's okay if you wish to go in.."  
Smoker nodded.  
Sanji looked at Chopper again, his face frustrated. "Fine. I'll wait out here."

-:-

It had been four hours since Chopper's report. Sanji sat in the waiting room, an empty cup in his hand. His head had fallen back, mouth slightly open. He looked uneasy as he slept. Tashigi entered the room and walked over to him. "Excuse me? Sanji San?" She placed her hand on his shoulder. Sanji's eyes snapped open. "Ah.. Miss Tashigi. How is she?"  
"Would you like to see her?"  
Sanji sat up straight. Chopper had told him that Annie was not in a state where strangers or new people should meet her. He had not pried for any more information.  
"Is that ... Is it fine if I do?" Sanji asked, uncertain. He wanted to meet Annie. The last image he had of her was her clutching onto his shirt as he sat on the backseat of his car (Tashigi drove). Her face was swollen on the left side, like she had been hit repeatedly and her legs were covered with blood. She had been crying and was asking repeatedly if she could go home.

"I think you deserve to be there." Tashigi smiled.  
Sanji looked into her eyes, they looked tired and a little sad. He nodded and stood up. He followed Tashigi to Room 405 and entered. The room had two beds. Law lay on one of it, his head heavily bandaged and hand in a plaster. Smoker had got this guy in 5 mins after Annie was taken into the emergency room. Sanji recognized him. He was the one who had asked Robin to dance with him at Skypiya. On the other bed lay Annie. Her bandaged legs were hidden beneath the blanket. Her eyes were closed and an oxygen mask covered most of her lower face. But her face looked pinched, like she was remembering something horrible and her breathing shallow. Smoker was nowhere to be seen. Sanji walked upto her bed, laid his hand on hers and squeezed lightly. Her eyes opened slightly as she tried to remember the tall shadow.

"Sanji?" She whispered.  
"Yes, Annie. It's me." Sanji bent a little so he could be closer to her. He wanted to let her know he was there for her. He kissed her forehead lightly.  
"Thank God.. I thought they killed you.." Tears started rolling down the side of her face. He cupped the right side of her face, his thumb caressing her cheek.  
"I would like to see them try." He said.  
She hummed, a very small smile coming on her face. Tashigi came to stand on the other side of the bed and Annie turned to look at her. Giving her a warm smile, Tashigi took her other hand in her own. "How're you feeling?"  
"I think it's almost out.. I am feeling sleepy"  
"Hmm.. Do you want us to leave?"  
"No," Annie squeezed their hands "No. Stay." Her half lidded eyes swept around the room."Smoker..?"  
"He had to leave. Higher ups are asking for details."  
"And Law?" Annie asked squinting in his direction.  
"He is fine. Just out cold. Doctors say he can leave whenever he wants to."

Sanji stood there, listening to the two ladies talk. He was a little confused. Wasn't Annie still under the control of the drugs? How was she talking about these things then? Wasn't she supposed to be ... well, not herself? He didn't notice when the two stopped talking and realized suddenly that both Tashigi and Annie were looking at him intently. "Sorry.. I spaced out." He said "What did you say?"  
Annie smiled from below the mask. Tashigi smiled too.  
"She said that it is okay if you want to leave."  
"Ah... No.. I am going to stay here."  
"Very well.. Then, Annie," Tashigi said looking at her again "I will have to leave. Smoker told me to come if you are out of danger."  
Annie nodded. "Sanji.. could you come with me outside for a moment?" Tashigi asked.  
"Yes, ofcourse.."

"I know you have questions." Tashigi said the moment they were outside the room. "You will get your answers, I am pretty sure Annie will give them to you." She smiled.  
Sanji returned it halfheartedly. She sighed.  
"Drugs, Mr. Blackleg, are affecting our society like a plague. People know about it. They know they will probably ruin their own lives but they tend to try it out atleast once. That 'one time' is enough. Mostly, people get a high from it and they think that they can handle it so they give it another go and it goes on from there. Before they know it, they are addicted." She looked up to meet his eyes "What people are unaware of is that, there are two extremes in drug use. Not just one. A person feels numb ofcourse but how they perceive things in that state of mind varies from person to person. In minority, people tend to get depressed as well. Remember things they wish to not think about, relive the moments that in some way affected them. Annie is one of them. Drug use doesn't give her a high. She falls into a depressive state."  
Sanji blinked. He did not know this. It still didn't answer his question though. Drug use, weather for the high or low, changes a person's behavior. The Annie in the room behind him was not - not herself. And there had definitely been an overdose. Tashigi gave him a sad smile "I know. You can ask her tomorrow morning. I guess she will tell you. I also have a small favor to ask? Law's family is out of town, they will be here in another hour or so. Could you take care of him till then?"  
"Of-course, my lady. I will" Sanji smiled.

-:-

"We need to stop spending our nights together like this." Annie said. Sanji blinked. The room was filled with bright light. He blinked again.

"Annie? You're awake?"  
"Yup. Awake. Also, back in my senses."  
Sanji chuckled. He had fallen asleep on the side chair, his head resting near Annie's hand which he had held in his.  
"Sorry to make you go through all that... I guess you have lot of questions?"  
"Erm.. Yes. But first, let me call Chopper. He should check up on you."  
"He did that two hours ago..."  
"What time is it?"  
"2 PM"  
"When did you wake up?"  
"2 hours ago."  
"Why didn't you wake me up?"  
"You looked cute while you slept."  
"What did chopper say?"  
"I can go home tonight if my tests don't reveal anything suspicious"  
"Hmm.."  
"What..? No more questions?" Annie chuckled.

Sanji laughed and looked across the room to see Kidd, Law and Bepo staring at them. "Hey! You're awake too!" Sanji smiled warmly. He had met the Kiss and Bepo last night and filled them in with what had happened.  
Law looked at him. "Ah. Yes. Smoker told me about you raising the alarm. Thank you."  
"No problem"  
"So, you're a cook?"  
"yeah."  
"Are you any good?" Kidd spoke up.  
"Why don't you take a reservation at my restaurant and let me know?"  
"Okay. Will you be there tomorrow?"  
Sanji looked at Annie then back. "Yes."  
"Cool.. We will be there for lunch"  
"Sure"  
They got up to leave. Law walked over to Annie and the two bro fisted. Kid and Annie exchanged the middle finger and Beppo simply waved at her before he left.  
"So..? Questions?" Annie said

Sanji looked at her properly for the first time since he had woken up. The bruise on her face looked bad but the oxygen mask was off and somehow, she looked like her old self. "I don't know what to ask.." He sighed, taking her hand in his again.  
"Well, why don't I start with how I got used to high dosage of drugs." They looked at each other for a while "If you're interested, ofcourse."  
"Yes, I want to know.."  
"Hmm.. You see, right now, I am 24. 10 years ago, I got my first boyfriend. He was my high school crush. He was rich and all. Now, you should know, 10 years ago, I was... fat. So I was not really a date material for most of the people in the school. So, when I was asked out by him, I couldn't resist and agreed to go out with him that evening. I didn't tell my parents. They are... were conservative people. They wouldn't allow it. So.. He took me to this gaming station. We played alot, at-least three hours. That's when his friends joined us. I don't remember much after drinking the juice they got for me. It was probably drugged. But the next thing I knew was that I was gagged and laying tied up. Someone had thrown water on my face to wake me up. He stood infront of me and told someone to do it. That was the first time I was drugged." She paused, the expression on her face was neutral. Like she was telling Sanji something she read from the newspaper that day. Sanji could feel his blood boiling. What had happened to her? "Well, as you can see.. it took it's toll on me and I don't know what I did but the pictures they showed me later on showed that I had cried a lot and just asked to go home. And of-course, this happened while he and two of his friends raped me. It wasn't enough for them. They did it to me every week. I never dared to tell my parents. They would just blame me. For them, this was just my fault and men would be men. Around 3 months later, in one session, before I was drugged, I desperately begged them to give me an out. I told them this was not my cup of tea."

"They just laughed. I was so desperate, Sanji. I picked up one of the bottles next to me and broke it on one of their arms. Again, they overpowered me and stuff. I had resisted and they didn't need that. So, I was sold off that night. That was the last day I saw my parents."  
She paused again, looking at him, waiting for his reaction. Sanji was looking at the ground, his grip on Annie's hands tight.  
"Well," She continued. "I was drugged almost daily then and thrown from one costumer to another. I was fat so I was again not preferred and the brat who purchased me, starved me for two weeks and then gave me just two meals a day that barely did it's work. I guess I lived like that for two years. I was getting used to the drugs and fought back everytime they didn't affect me. They increased the dosage everytime I resisted. Smoker and Tashigi were the ones to save me and a couple of others. I was 17 when they did. They took me home and my parents refused to accept me so those two took me in and nursed me back to myself. I owe them so much. But you see.. I missed out on my education. So getting a job was impossible. I started doing small spy works for the police department and soon I was helping in elite cases. "  
She finished talking. Sanji didn't look up.  
"I know. It's alot of information to process. I understand if you wish to leave..."  
A knock interrupted her as Chopper entered not a second later. "Annie.. I need to keep you for another day... Your liver function is not back to normal yet. Is that alright?"  
"Yes.. Ofcourse"  
Sanji got up abruptly and left the room.

:-:

Sanji entered his apartment. The drive back home was short and his mind was blank. He walked over to his sofa and stood there, staring at a spot on it. Then, he picked up the vase on the side table and threw it on the wall at the other end of the room, Annie's monotonous tone ringing in his ears. How could she be so calm about this? Her life was played with and she seemed to not give a fuck about it. Had she gotten used to this? A life with no acceptance? He kicked the side table next, breaking it's glass and sending it crashing to the other side of the room.

-:-

"He just left?" Tashigi asked.  
"Yeah well.. What did you expect?" Annie was eating the Sushi that Tashigi got for her.  
"You used the *don't care* tone again, didn't you?"  
"I might have. I told you, I don't realize it when I do that. Plus, I have no interest in letting my past affect my present choices."  
Tashigi made a cross face and Annie laughed.  
"Oh, relax. Sanji seemed shocked but he is man enough to cope up with it."  
"You haven't told many people about yourself. Why did you tell him?"  
Annie shrugged. "I don't know" She finally sighed. "I feel like I can trust him. It's a gut feeling. I get it around you, Smoker Sensi and Law too."  
Tashigi smiled and patted her head. "Well, I need to go. What do you want for dinner?"  
"Fried chicken" Annie grinned.  
Tashigi laughed and left while Annie ate her Sushi as she watched the car racing on the TV in the room. It had been a while since she had trusted someone and she hoped she didn't scare him off.

Around 7 that night, Annie was sleeping on the hospital bed, her mouth hanging open, her hair in a mess and and she was snoring deeply. Sanji knocked on the door and entered. He was wearing his best tee-shirt and jeans and held a huge basket in his hand. He headed over the bed, placing the basket on the sofa on his way there.  
He smiled when he saw Annie sleeping. She looked like a kid. He sighed and turned off the TV. The sudden silence woke her up.  
"Mmm.. You got the fried chicken? I was starting to get hung... Oh, hi there."  
Annie stared at Sanji. Sanji chuckled.  
"Hey.. Sorry about before.."  
Annie waved her hand "Nah nah.. I get it.. Too much information. So, it finally sunk in eh? How many glasses did you break?"  
Sanji looked at her, surprised. "Six" He muttered..  
"Really? That's two more than Law's. I'll have to tell him about it." She grinned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She winced when she rubbed her hurt side a little too hard.  
Sanji grinned back at her. "You're a really brave person, Annie. I'm glad I got to meet you.." He took her hand away from her face and went to the bathroom and got a wet towel. He cleaned her face gently. Then, he tried combing her hair. It is safe to say that the task didn't go well and he ended up getting pinched near his armpit.  
"What are you fussing over me for?" Annie asked, a little cross "And don't comb somebody else's hair if you don't know how to."  
"Well," Sanji smiled,rubbing his arm, as Annie started running the comb through her hair and skilfully removed all the tangles without pulling out all her hair. "We had a date. Did you forget?"

Annie stopped combing her hair and stared at Sanji. "What date?"  
"Seriously, you forgot..." Sanji chuckled. "I told you I would cook for you today and I did."  
He walked over to the sofa and opened the basket. He rolled the dinner table thing that the hospital had and laid a small table cover on it. He took out two simple glasses and placed them on the table. Next, he pulled out three Tupperwear containers and took off their lids and placed them on the table. Then there were two forks and two spoons.  
"I called up Tashigi San to ask her how you were doing. She told me later that you were in mood for fried chicken, so I made you some."  
He rolled the table to Annie and she saw the dishes spread infront of her.  
In one tupperwear was the most crispy looking fried chicken. In the other container was what looked like fried chicken again, only, it looked more spicy. Both the dishes looked, in simple words, yum.. The third tupperwear had 5 small containers fit in it with different dips in each. The smell of the food made her mouth water and she couldn't wait to start. Sanji walked back to the basket and pulled out a bottle of Coca~Cola and poured it into the two glasses set on the tiny table.

Annie crossed her legs and pointed to the space opposite her and looked at Sanji, her eyes gleaming and a huge smile plastered on her face. Sanji laughed and took off his shoes and climbed onto the bed and sat there, cross legged.  
"Right, I'm digging in." Annie said, picking up the first piece of the chicken and taking a small bite off it. Sanji laughed again and picked up a piece for himself and started eating. Annie moaned. "This is like.. the best thing I have ever tasted! You're amazing! You made fried chicken taste different!"  
"Thank you so much!" Sanji said.  
They sat there for about an hour. Annie was a slow eater. She enjoyed every bite and talked alot in between. Sanji was talking too. He felt his heart lighten as he talked and laughed with her.  
After that was done, he extracted a pudding from inside the basket. Annie wondered if that thing had a cooler inside it. How else could a pudding stay fresh?  
There were three layers in the pudding. A fruit sponge cake, vanilla icecream and custard on the top and to top it all, he had cut up Alphonso and spread the thin dices on the custard layer. Sanji confirmed that there was actually a small cooler placed inside the big basket that he carried.

When Sanji served her the pudding, he bent down and hesitated a little before kissing her. Her face was still bruised so he was gentle. Their lips worked in sync and Sanji's hand cupped the right side of her face , the fingers going into her hair. She mimicked the action and placed her hand on his cheek, her eyes closed and head bent back to kiss him properly. Her left hand held his arm. The kiss was small and sweet. A few minutes later, they broke it.

They were breathing heavily, their foreheads touching and a small smile on their lips. Annie's face was red and so was Sanji's. He cleared his throat "Do you want to eat the pudding now?"  
"Yes" She breathed out. Her heart feeling lighter. She hadn't realized there was a weight on it.

Chopper stood outside the room, peeking from the small window provided on the door. He smiled. It had been so long since he had seen Sanji smile genuinely. He felt happy as he walked off. He would check up on Annie after an hour.

 _ **So, the next chapter is gonna have some good HET smut and maybe a little Zoro. Hope you liked this chapter. Please review. Also, to the readers who don't know about this, there are teens who are abused using drugs the way I have shown here. Annie is holding up a strong font and won't let it damage her any further but people simply lose the meaning of their life in the real world. If possible, please refrain from such activities and try to refrain your friends from it too. The topic is quite sensitive for me as a very close friend of mine has gone through this.**_


	7. Chapter 6

**_The chapter was getting too long so I am posting the first half for now. Please do review if you read it guys. I am open to criticism as well. I get the notification for having visitors but I have no way of knowing if this is actually what people want to read. I have another story in my mind and it's pure YAOI, no het. If I get no responses then this story will unfortunately be left incomplete. Even though Zoro comes back in the next chapter. Please excuse the poor grammar and sentence formation. English is not my first language._**

 **Chapter 6**

"So, basically, you had an eventful week."  
Sanji sat next to Robin in a Takoyaki - special restaurant. He had just relayed everything that had happened last week and Robin heard it with a smile as they waited for their order to arrive.

Sanji chuckled. "Yes, you can say that."  
"Hmm... So, are you going to date Annie?"

He thought over what Robin asked. Annie was definitely an interesting person. She was brave, beautiful and carefree. He did like her and respected her. But was he ready to date anyone yet? It had been two months now since Zoro left and he still felt empty. But he definitely felt a little better around Annie. Why? He had no clue.  
Robin hummed.

"Silence speaks a lot, Sanji san. You don't feel you are ready, do you?"  
He sighed. Trust Robin to know what you are thinking.  
"I am not sure, Robin chan. I like her. She definitely caught my attention. But I was... am in love with Zoro. I don't even know if he will ever come back. I don't know if he is alright. I don't know if he is closer to his goal. I know I haven't told you all why he left but accepting that fact has not been easy for me. I miss him. I miss him so much. But he just left and I fucking lost myself when he did. I never realized I depended on him so much." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting his head fall back. Robin heard him, her face serious. It was true that Sanji had kept everything to himself and trying to pry him for information had been fruitless. He was finally opening up a little and she hoped she could try to ease his pain a little by listening patiently.

"He... "Sanji cleared his throat. He opened his eyes and stared at the table cloth. The service in here was ridiculously slow. "We were doing fine. Things were going well. You remember him being hospitalized after we came back from the vacation? I guess it was a week before he left? It's so funny... We told you guys that it was because of some advanced flu but actually, we had done it on the beach when we visited it. The sand got into the areas where it shouldn't and well, he got a serious infection and had to be admitted. He missed this tournament scheduled for the day. It hit the newspapers the next day that Mihawk too had entered and won the first place, again. That kind of fuelled up the Marimo and he blamed himself for a long time. Kept saying he was becoming careless and allowed himself to be left behind."

Robin's heart clenched as she heard Sanji speak. She placed her hand on his and squeezed it lightly. Sanji chuckled and returned it.

"Well... two days later he is telling me us being together is making him laid back and he needs an out. I know it hurt him too. The fact that he skipped town instead of staying just proves it. I just... arh... I wish I knew what he was up to; a link. To know he is fine or something. But there is nothing and that is what hurts me. Being cast aside like I meant nothing."

Sanji kept staring at the table cloth. Robin sat and waited for him to continue. He sighed.

"Then a week ago this lady comes in out of nowhere and my mind has something other than Zoro to think about. I meet her at the club again and couldn't help but be close to her. Later, she takes me home drunk and calms me down and we kiss the next morning. The same day, I save her from those drug dealers and the next day, I just did what I wanted to do to make her happy and we end up sharing the most adorable kiss. I definitely like her. There is a pull. But I have no clue what this actually is to me. I am not ready for anything serious but I don't want to have a fling with her either. I don't want to end up hurting her like I was."

He raised his head to look at Robin. She was smiling slightly and he helplessly grinned a little too. Robin squeezed his hand again and spoke softly, the smile never leaving her face and leaning a little.

"Cook san... I know what Zoro did hurts you and you have every right to be hurt or even show your anger towards him, which seems to be slowly building. But, I feel you are reading in too much with Annie. She seems like an intelligent girl and from what you have told me, it's obvious she is not interested in hurrying you into anything. Why not take it slow with her? Or if you are worried that you will hurt her then discuss it with her freely before you both go any further."

"Nyuu... A Takoyaki platter with fries, dips and Cola." Hachi arrived with their order (FINALLY) and placed it on the table. "How are you doing? Robin, Sanji?"

"Good, Hachi San. How is your back?" – Robin  
"It's better. I got 2 new people to help me out in the kitchen so I barely do any work other than cutting the Octopus. Why don't you two come in and meet them when you are done eating?"  
"You want us to meet the cut up octopus?" Robin asked; her face serious.  
Sanji sorted into the Cola he was drinking. Robin had a really weird yet cute sense of humour. It was weird because she claimed that she never really cracked jokes and was serious when she said stuff like that.  
Hachi laughed too. "Nyuuu... Robin! You are funny! See you two at the back!"

Robin blinked once then returned her gaze to Sanji who was smiling as he looked at her. "You know, she reminds me of you." He said. Robin smiled.

They both dug into the food silently after that. The wait coupled with the amazing scent of the food in the air had really helped in increasing their appetite. Sanji felt a little light as he ate. Telling Robin what had been troubling him for the past two months helped. Maybe he should have told her sooner.

-:-

The days passed quickly. Sanji went to his work daily and when he was done, he occasionally found a message or two from Annie on his phone which he replied to happily. They ended up texting for bit and sharing a joke or two before either one of them said their goodnight. Sanji still had his doubts so he tried to control the texts he sent and wondered if she noticed that he was holding himself back. About two weeks after the drug incident, they decided to meet outside Sanji's workplace to go for a stroll.

Sanji was doing some paper work when his phone beeped.

*I'm outside! Come when you are free! :D *

He smiled a little to himself and took off his specks and rubbed his eyes. He got up and left his coat hanging on the chair. Going for a stroll in a suit was not really his thing, especially at 6 in the evening. He pocketed his cigarette and lighter and headed out the back exit, calling out to Taijo and telling him to look after the restaurant for a while. Annie was standing in-front of the shop just across the street looking at the poster for the latest movie releases. He crossed the road and stood next to her, reading the same poster. His heart was fluttering lightly.

"Should I take this as a hint to take you out for a movie?" Sanji asked; his voice confident. Annie chuckled, and looked at him. "Only if you are interested." Her voice was calm.  
He grinned and bent a little to hold her lips for a few seconds before parting. "Where does the young lady wish to go?"  
"I feel like eating some ice-cream!"  
"Then ice-cream stand it is. Does the park..." He stopped mid-sentence and cleared his throat.  
"It's okay... I don't particularly like parks ... Let's just walk" She smiled.

Sanji nodded and gave her a smile which was far from genuine. He wondered how long it would take for Annie to realize that he was not actually behaving like himself. They walked in silence for a couple of minutes, the silence becoming slightly awkward but she didn't force him to talk and he appreciated that. The silence of course allowed his mind to wander back to Zoro. He felt guilty about that. He was walking next to a pretty lady and all he could think about was Zoro. He shook his head a little and tried to think about something to talk with Annie about. He was brought back to reality with her elbowing his ribs; staring pointedly at the ice-cream stall they just crossed.

"Ah... Which one..." He started to speak but stopped talking when she arched an eyebrow at him. "Urm.."  
"Come with me." She took his hand and guided him to the tea and coffee restaurant at the end of the street. "Table for two" She said to the waiter who came to greet her. He led them to a small table next to the window and handed them the menus. "Thanks." She smiled at him "Can you give us two minutes before we order?"  
"Sure" The waiter left them. Sanji gulped lightly and Annie finally looked at him, her face serious.

"This is extremely important. You might already know that this is a big deal and choosing wrong or being untruthful with yourself will only make you sad." She looked at him sternly.  
Sanji nodded. He had been far too rude with her and now he had to come out and discuss what he had been avoiding for two weeks. He cleared his throat.  
"So, think carefully before answering. I'm going to ask you once. I know it's difficult to speak what comes to your heart but just say it without any worry. Alright?"  
He nodded again.  
"Earl Grey or Lapsang Soughong?"  
"Earl Grey." Sanji answered without thinking. Then he blinked as Annie grinned. "I knew it." She said.  
She called the waiter over and ordered for them while Sanji sat there and stared at her dumbfounded. He noticed when she gave him a side look and then laughed at whatever the waiter said. He had to stop zoning out.

"Earth to Sanji. Are you listening?" She said as the waiter left with the menu cards.  
"Urm.. yes. Sorry about that." Sanji cleared his throat again and sat up a little, realizing then that his posture had slacked.  
Annie laughed, a soothing voice that somehow didn't manage to pierce his ears the way most lady's laughs did.  
"You got so serious. Like I was about to ask you a question about life and death."  
Sanji blushed lightly and laughed with her.  
"I'm sorry. I am not treating you well. I will make up for it." He promised both Annie and himself.

"Hmm... I get it. You have been behaving weird since our first date. Did I scare you?"  
Sanji's chuckled. "You scaring me is not really possible, Annie. I am so sorry that I made you think that. It's just, I have been so confused with what I want and don't want to do. " He looked at her sheepishly. "I am sorry, really. I can't say that enough."  
"Well, if you are, why don't you tell me about you and Zoro? From what I gather, it's practically like you were in love with the guy but he didn't return the feelings or something."  
"No... No... That is not what happened." He chuckled again. "But I agree that I am in love with him." He looked at her to see her reaction to that but he saw nothing but the same curious look she had since the time she had ordered the tea. He sighed again. "It's a really long story. If you have the time, I will tell you about it..."  
Annie got up; picked up her chair and set it next to Sanji's and sat back on it. She turned a little to look at him "I'm all ears" She said and smiled.

"Well, Zoro, Luffy, Nami, Ussop and I have known each other since Junior high. Zoro and I didn't really get along that well. We got on each other's nerves and fought almost daily. After high school was over, we all separated for a while. I went to learn about the different dishes of the world, Ussop got into an engineering college, Luffy went with his uncle and worked for his company instead of looking for further education. Nami went to an architecture school and Zoro joined a job to work as a handyman and at the same time, he entered those underground fighting. Apparently, the dojo where he practiced didn't have anyone who could actually make him work on his skills. So, around four years later, I return here to find Luffy, Nami, Ussop and Zoro having lunch at the restaurant that I wanted to join."

Sanji smiled at the memory.  
"I guess it was the long time apart or something but when I looked at him, I just realized that I had missed him. We had all stayed in touch of-course but him and me didn't really make any effort for the same. So, now when we started hanging out again, we were a little warmer towards each other. Just a little. We still fought daily and stuff but there was a friendly undertone to it. He took me to one of those underground fighting sessions and I fought a few of them too. I could see why he loved it. The adrenaline rush gets you high and it's a perfect stress reliever.  
I forgot to mention this earlier but it has been Zoro's dream since before I met him to be the greatest swordsman in the world. He participates in Kendo championship tournament from time to time. Currently, he ranks the second. The first is Mihawk. He has been Zoro's opponent for two years now.

Two years ago, in one of the matches, Zoro lost his mind when he saw that Mihawk had entered the match. He had always wanted to fight him. So, after officially losing to him in the match, Zoro approached him in the parking lot with his real swords and requested Mihawk to have an actual duel. He agreed. I was standing right there when it happened. It was over in less than a minute and Zoro was lying bleeding on the ground. Mihawk had cut him and it was deep. Mihawk said he would wait for the day that Zoro would actually beat him. I didn't know what to do then. It was the first time I realized I had feelings for him.

We started dating about a month later. Turns out our feelings were mutual. It took us two more months to realize that things between us were serious and we were not just playing around.  
The last match was scheduled around 2 months ago and Zoro had to miss it due to us being careless about a few things. He never blamed me. But he did blame himself and decided that it would be best if we parted ways. I agreed but I just needed some time to let it sink when he told me about it so I just left for a walk to calm my mind. When I came back that night, he was gone. He had just taken his basic necessities and left."

Silence followed Sanji's words. Annie's expression had changed from curious to neutral. There was no way of telling what she thought about what she had just heard.

The waiter stepped in then and placed two beautiful cups in front of them. Next he set down a teapot (covered with a Tea cozy) followed by three plates of tea snacks. It was beginning to get dark outside and the city lights reflected on the glass Sanji sat next to. The waiter bowed and left, eyeing Annie curiously.

"Annie...?" Sanji asked, a little hesitant.  
"Yeah?" She looked at him as if she had just been snapped out of a dream. "Oh... Sorry... I zoned out. So... you guys broke up 2 months ago?"  
Sanji nodded and she hummed and gave him a small smile which Sanji genuinely returned. He was halfway through the conversation that he had dreaded but it seemed to have gone easily up till now and he hoped it stayed that way. Annie turned her attention back to the table and looked surprised to see that their order had arrived.  
"Allow me." Sanji said and poured the tea into the two cups. "Do you like sugar?"  
"Yes... but not with Earl Grey" She grinned.  
He served her the tea and she sniffed it, her face thoughtful. Her features relaxed when she did and she took a sip and set the cup back down. Sanji served the tea to himself and mimicked her action. It was then that he realized that Annie was wearing Jeans and a button up white shirt and her hair were straight today and tied up in a lose ponytail.

"You are not sure about what you feel for me..." She didn't turn to look at him.  
Sanji returned the cup to its plate and pondered over what he was going to say. He decided being honest and straightforward was probably the best approach.  
"I like you. I want to date you but I don't want to end up hurting you if I am not able to give you what you might expect from me."  
Annie hummed and smiled as she sipped on her tea. She picked up the Knife set on the table and cut a little slab of the tea cake and took a bite from it. She turned to Sanji and winked. Sanji laughed. Annie definitely knew how to lighten a serious situation. She chucked next to him.

"You look much better when you laugh, Sanji. And that is all I expect from you; to be able to laugh when you are with me. I am no fool. You and Zoro were serious and the guy fucking skipped town. It proves he is serious about his dreams. Though, taking a break would have been more advisable. I am guessing you would have waited if he asked you to?" Without waiting for a reply from Sanji, she continued. Her voice even and calm with no trace of judgement in it "I am sure you still are waiting for him. Somewhere, deep inside, you want him to come back and return your life to normal. Your brain however knows that you are being melodramatic and so you are literally forcing yourself to move on."

She stopped there to sip her tea again. Sanji stared into her eyes, his lips slightly parted as he realized what she was saying was true. She chuckled again.  
"If you want to date me because it'll help you to move on, I don't mind it." She concluded.

Sanji blinked. "Why? I mean... I don't... Why?" He stuttered. Annie chuckled.  
"You seemed to be having an inner conflict and I happen to have a solution. Tell me, what will you do if Zoro appears at your doorstep tonight?"  
Sanji's heart clenched at the thought. If Zoro came back, what would he do? His heart clenched again and breathing suddenly became a task he had to concentrate on.  
"Hey.." Annie leaned forward and put an arm around him, a guilty look on her face. "Hey... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry." She massaged Sanji's back as he slumped forward a little, trying not to hyperventilate. Fuck. Since when did he become like this? He felt tears sting his eyes and he turned away from Annie. Crying in-front of a woman. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. He felt Annie's reassuring hand on his shoulder and relaxed a little.

When he felt like he was in control, which seemed like ages, he looked around to see Annie's worried face. He smiled at her reassuringly and when the worry lines on her face increased, he realized he had done a bad job. Sighing, he picked up his cup of now cold tea with one hand. He reached towards Annie's hand on his shoulder with his other hand and held it there, his hands trembling slightly. He downed the tea in one go and cleared his throat. "Annie... I'm sorry that I worried you. I am really honoured that you want to see me smile but I can't see myself using you like that. He... Zoro... I still love him and playing with your feelings is not an option I even want to consider."

He was about to speak more but Annie suddenly turned his face towards her and kissed him. He tried to resist but gave up in mere seconds and was kissing her back, tilting his head lightly and closing his eyes. She was not exactly attacking his mouth. She was fondling with it. Her soft lips worked with his and tasted of cherry. His lips moved with hers automatically and he shut out all the other thoughts in his mind. He didn't know why he was kissing her but he was and it felt peaceful. He sucked on her lower lip gently and tickled it with his tongue. She responded by grabbing his lower lip between her teeth lightly and licked it. He could start to feel breathless but he didn't want to break the kiss. It was peaceful and slow.

Annie broke the kiss and smiled. Her hand still on his shoulder and the other was resting on his face. Sanji didn't open his eyes and just concentrated on the moment. His one hand was holding Annie's hand to his face while the other was around her neck, holding her in place. Annie lent in again and held his lips for a little while before letting her head fall on his shoulder. Sanji wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her in there. He nuzzled into her hair and breathed their sweet scent. They stayed like that for quite a while.

-:-

"I KNEW IT!" Ace all but screeched.  
"No! You didn't! Aren't you listening? He is simply going to try dating her and take it slow." Nami punched her boyfriend.  
Ace pouted and looked at Nami. Sanji and Luffy laughed.

Sanji was cooking a barbeque for everyone at Nami and Ace's place. He let it slip that he was dating Annie and that the doubts he had before no longer existed.  
*You won't be using me if I know what your real intentions are. I am up for it. Stop being a girl and take me to a movie next week.*  
Sanji grinned as he remembered what she said and the determined look on her face when she did.

"As long are you're okay with it, Sanji Kun, none of us have a problem with you trying to move on." Nami gave him a warm smile and patted him on his back before going to sit with Robin.

Sanji had been a tiny bit worried about his friends not wanting him to move on. It was Zoro after all... They had all known each other for around 12 years. He had felt like he was betraying the group but was surprised to find out that everyone was actually pissed on Zoro and were cutting Sanji complete slack.  
"So," Usopp grinned "When do we get to meet the lady who distracted you from Zoro?"  
Sanji chuckled. "Whenever she feels she wants to... I can't force her to meet you guys."  
"Hmmm"

-:-

"How do I look?"  
"She knows you were with a guy for 2 years, doesn't she?"

Sanji and Ace had to meet Annie and Nami in fifteen minutes and had only two minutes left before they rushed out and broke the two traffic signals to reach the rendezvous point on time. He glowered at Ace. It had to be Ace. Why couldn't Robin be there helping him dress up for the occasion? He had already changed his clothes thrice and the comments were "You look gay." "You look a little less gay" "Dude, get the hint. Stop wearing a damn suit for a movie.".

Sanji scoffed and set his hair the way they usually fell and took off the jacket he was wearing. "I don't have the time to change again. C'mon." He picked up his car keys and walked out of his apartment. "I'll really lock you in." He threatened Ace. Ace paid no heed to it and strolled out of the house at his own pace.  
"What are you worried about? They're girls. They'll be late."  
"You're forgetting Annie?"

They walked into the garage and towards Sanji's parking space. "Oh yeah... I forgot. I can't believe she makes Nami get ready on time." Ace said as he got into the car and buckled his seatbelt. "You're gonna have to break the traffic lights, aren't you?"  
"Yup" Sanji reversed the car out of the spot and exited the garage.  
"Ten minutes to the movie hall and eight minutes left. We're fucked."  
"You made me change thrice. This had to happen!"  
"Hey! Not my fault your definition of dressing sexy is wearing a suit. I mean, no offense, but seriously, wearing a suit to a movie? Are you..." Ace kept rambling on and Sanji tuned him out to concentrate on his driving. He was driving pretty fast and was not interested in hurting someone in the process of arriving earlier than the ladies for once since he started dating Annie.

It had been three months since that day at the tea restaurant. Sanji and Annie had met each other almost every time they both were free. She had blended in well with his friends and automatically gelled with Robin. It did take her a little while to get used to being around Nami. Nami, according to her was like a mother. She made her sit straight and eat right. They had eventually become quite fast friends and grew quite inseparable after a while. For one, both the girls punched right; though Annie preserved her punches for the guys who tried hitting on her in the public.

Sanji had been able to slowly open up to Annie. Every time they met, Annie made him tell her what he was thinking and she caught him every time he tried to lie. After a while, he started sharing his thoughts aloud on his own and was surprised when they started turning from sappy sad ones to hopeful happy ones. After two months, Annie and he could be seen laughing at a mutual joke, sharing an intimate kiss at the corner of some get-togethers or just cuddling comfortably together and chuckling from time to time as they enjoyed the rented DVD with their friends.

Everyone in the group, Ace, Luffy, Nami, Ussop, Chopper, Robin, Franky and Brook were finally able to see a little of the Sanji that they had been missing. There were moments when they caught Annie looking at Sanji, her eyes soft and a little hint of worry in them. Those were usually the days when they too noticed Sanji putting up his "I'm fine" smile or fake a laugh when it was not really required. The cook obviously still missed Zoro. The relation between Sanji and Annie was honest. Even on those days, he truthfully told her what was bothering him and she understood it perfectly and didn't force him out of his mood.

Nami and Annie stood in front of the movie hall, dressed up smartly. Of course the two fools were running late. Nami was tapping her foot impatiently while Annie stared at the new movie posters, trying to decide which one she wanted to see next.  
"How are things between you and Sanji?" Nami asked suddenly. She sounded polite and concerned.  
Annie looked at her sideways, a little smile playing on her lips. "He is much better. He talks more freely and recently, I have noticed that his guilt has gone down and there might be some actual emotions hidden there..."

Nami hummed. The reply didn't really answer her question but she had heard what she needed to hear about Sanji. Nami had started to like Annie after a while and now she genuinely cared for her. So she asked again. "And what about you? How are you doing?"

Annie chuckled "You never let things off the hook, do you?" Nami grinned. Annie sighed "Well, I am fine with things the way they are. Somehow, being with Sanji, I don't want to rush through things. I feel comfortable around him and that's rare. In the beginning I felt like he would totally give up and end the dating or something. But he didn't. We have gotten quite close." She stopped speaking.  
"But...?" Nami pushed

"But I just wish he would allow his walls to fall down a little more. I have heard how he was around Zoro and though I am in no way a substitute, I really wish I got to see that side of him. He shows it but it's so rare... I am not really complaining. But I am definitely hoping for more..."

Nami looked at Annie curiously, a question bugging her. Should she ask it? Was it too personal? Ah! Fuck it. Annie could decide if she wanted to answer.  
"Annie, exactly what do you mean by 'quite close'?"

Annie blushed lightly and her eyes gleamed with embarrassment. She coughed a little to hide her reaction. "We... um..." She hesitated.  
Nami grinned her evil smile and completed the sentence for her "You guys haven't had sex, have you?"

If Annie had somehow managed to control her blush before, it was quite impossible now. Her cheek's color resembled that of a tomato and her ears were burning.  
"No..." She muttered.

A cough interrupted the two ladies and they turned around to see Sanji and Ace standing behind them. Looking at Sanji's face, it was obvious that the last part of their conservation had not gone unheard. He was redder than Annie.

 _ **Thank you, SanjiZoro and Guest ? Haha... Zoro is coming back soon! :D Thank you so much for reviewing.**_


	8. Chapter 7

_**So... I thought and thought and thought and I wanted to put so much in this chapter. But in the end I put in nothing that I wanted to. Why? Cause I got am a bloody failure when it comes to romance!**_

 ** _Hope you like it anyways._**

 _ **Chapter Seven**_

"Sorry for the wait, ladies. Shall we?" Ace held out his hand and Nami took it. Sanji held out his and Annie took it too. Well, this was awkward. Talk about wanting the walls to come down.

"Okay, you two get the tickets. We'll bring the popcorns and stuff. You want the Sandwich ne, Annie?" Nami was a little red herself, embarrassed that Sanji knew that she knew about his sex life. Annie nodded, still not able to speak. As the two walked away to buy refreshments, Sanji and Annie walked towards the ticket counter.

Sanji was smiling. Annie was behaving cute. He liked this side of her. When she was embarrassed, she just blushed and walked around or sat at a place with her cheeks lightly puffed. He chuckled to himself and let go of Annie's hand and instead slid it around her waist. He bent down "Is something bothering you, my dear?" The blush that had left Annie's face returned with full force. She remained silent and Sanji chuckled and gave her a small kiss on her cheeks before they got in line.

"You're not angry with me?" Annie finally asked as they exited the counter with four tickets to "Frozen". He looked down at her surprised. Why was she expecting him to be angry with her? Nami knowing about his sex life was nothing new. Zoro and she were pretty close and he knew for a fact that their problems were usually revealed to Nami over a bottle of Black Dog. He smiled "No. Why would I be?"

They headed back to the other two who were lost somewhere in the mad crowd in front of the food stalls. They had to wait another 30 mins before the movie started so the two just headed towards the small unoccupied lounging area and sat on one of the sofas there. Sanji put his hand around Annie's shoulder and pulled her close. She came readily and rested her head on his shoulder, eyes closed.

"I've been holding back." Sanji said, tightening his arm around her. She hummed her agreement. He leant in and placed a small kiss on her lips. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

She opened her eyes to look at him. "I don't mind. You know I don't." It was Sanji's turn to hum. He leaned in for another kiss. As soon as the lips touched each other, Annie's phone rang playing Pharrell William's Happy. Annie groaned and turned her head to look at her phone screen as Sanji bumped his head on hers, a small pout playing on his lips, before leaning back. Annie glanced at the name. Smoker. Trust him to ruin a moment. But she had told him that she would not come tonight so this call is definitely going under the missed calls directory. She locked the phone and turned to Sanji, "Okay. Resume kissing." She straightened her back to reach his lips. As their lips touched, the phone rang again. Sanji started laughing when Annie closed her eyes and pursed her lips tightly. She slumped back again looked at her phone again. This time it's Law.

"Sup?"  
"Why don't you answer my calls?" Smoker's voice grumbled through the earpiece.  
Annie groaned. "I should have known. What is it? I told you I am off duty today." She traced circles using her index finger on Sanji's thigh, meeting his eyes and smiling as he smiled back genuinely.  
"As if! Get here in fifteen minutes."  
"What makes you think I will come just because you're telling me to?" Sanji started rubbing her shoulder, probably sensing her irritation.  
"I don't have the time to explain. Get here fast and make sure to dress for a dinner."

Annie took a deep breathe through her nose, closing her eyes again.  
"Fine. Give me an hour."  
"I said 15 minutes"  
"And I am saying one hour." Annie's voice wavered a little.  
"Fine. 1 hour. Reach All Blue."

Smoker cut the call before Annie could say anything else. She huffed and dropped the mobile back in her sweatshirt pocket. Great. Just great. Sanji leaned down and nuzzled into her hair. "Need to leave?" He mumbled.  
Annie said nothing and just concentrated on her breathing. The time she got to spend with Sanji was limited as it was. This was the third time this week that she had to cancel her plans with him just because Smoker had some stupid work for her which could very well be handled by Law as well. She sighed and opened her eyes, turning her head to kiss Sanji on the tip of his nose. "Yeah... To All Blue actually."

Sanji hummed. He felt warm sitting next to Annie, looking into her eyes, cuddled up on a sofa in a deserted lounge. "I want to try to make you stay," He kissed her gently "But I know I shouln..." His lips tickled Annie's as he spoke and she pressed her lips onto his, making him shut up. He turned so that Annie was practically lying alongside him as he "sat" on his side, one arm curled around her shoulders as he got his other hand up to her face, gently stroking the hair off her cheeks and letting then fall back. All the while, their lips didn't part and their tongues played with each other lightly. Annie moaned a little into his mouth.

Suddenly remembering where they were, Annie got her free hand around Sanji's muscled lower back and patted it lightly. He sighed through his nose and broke the kiss. "Fine fine.. I get it... I can't make you stay.." He got up and so did Annie, straightening their clothes and headed back to the stall area. Ace and Nami emerged from the thinning crowd laden with food. "... and your brother are both glutens! How much can you eat? And spending money like a thug! You should have learnt how to buy stuff by now! You've been with me for three... You are ditching me with these two again, aren't you Annie?" Nami looked at Annie, disgruntled. The look of guilt on Annie's face was so evident that she didn't even have to wait for Annie to say it herself. She(Nami) had been a part of this for the past two months now.

-:-

Annie sat at a table in All Blue surrounded by Smoker, Tashigi, Law and four high ranking officials who had wanted to meet Law and her. She sipped on the wine in her hand, listening intently to the new mission that she and Law were being assigned to.

-:-

Nami, Sanji and Ace walked out of the movie hall. Ace had slept throughout the movie after finishing his popcorns, sandwiches and sprite.  
"Where do you want to eat, Sanji Kyun?"  
"Anywhere is fine"  
"I didn't ask you, Ace!"  
Sanji laughed. "C'mon.. All Blue... Annie might be there. I'll drive!"

They got into Sanji's car and he was just about to start the engine when his phone rang. A smile came on his face when he saw who was calling.  
"Heyi.." He said.  
"Errr... Law here" Law's gruff voice came through the earpiece.  
"Oh! Whatsup Law? And why are you calling from Annie's phone?" Sanji could hear a slight commotion on the other end and his heart clenched a little. Did something happen to Annie again?  
Sensing his concern, Law replied calmly "Nothing serious. Where are you?"  
"Just starting out for All Blue."  
"Ah! Great!" Law sounded a little relieved. "Come soon! We are waiting!" and without waiting for a reply, he cut the call.

Well, that's weird. "Everything alright?" Nami asked from the back seat as he finally started the car.  
"Uh... Yeah.. I guess... He was talking weird. Said they're waiting at All Blue..."

He put the car in gear and for the second time that day, he sped through the city, trying to break any rules that he could. He parked the car at his reserved spot ten minutes later and hurried into his restaurant, Ace and Nami trying to keep up with him.

The sight that greeted him surprised him a little. Partly because Law's tone on the phone in no way suggested the scene in front of him and partly because this was probably the first time he was seeing Annie drunk.

Four of his dining tables had been shifted together to make it look like a huge table. The people occupying the chairs were : Luffy, Ussop, Annie, Law, Robin, Franky, Kidd, Brook, Chopper, Garp, Shanks, Aokiji, Smoker, Hancock and Tashigi. It was the loudest table in the restaurant. Sanji smiled to himself and the trio standing stunned on the door made their way to join them. Needless to say, the group was getting quite a few glares from the surrounding tables.

Sanji sat down in the empty chair next to Annie and put an arm around her shoulder. She turned to look at him, her face red.

"SAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNJJJJJJJJJIIIIIIIIIIIII! NAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMIIIIIIIIIIIII! AAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCEEEEEEEE! YOU GUYS FINALLY CAME!" Luffy bellowed from across the table and Sanji kicked him under the table.

"Stop scaring all my costumers away, you idiot. Speak softly!"  
Luffy pouted and turned his attention back to Shanks who was eating just as wildly as Luffy was. Sanji turned back to Annie and pressed his lips against hers. She giggled lightly as he parted. Sanji just stared at her. Annie never giggled. She chuckled or straight away laughed. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught Law smirking. He looked at him and received a wink from the guy. He (Law) was talking to Robin. Sanji slowly realized that he was the guy who had asked Robin to dance with him in Skypia. He looked farther across the table to see Franky and Kidd sitting together and glaring daggers at the two. He chuckled to himself. This was interesting.

"You're warm" Sanji's eyes widened a little as he heard Annie whisper in his ear. Her voice was laced with unsuppressed seduction. Her lips were too close to him, enough to tickle lightly. He felt his heart beat a little faster. How could someone make a simple phrase like that sound so sexy? He pressed her a little closer to ground himself from flowing in his perverted emotions.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to look at Ussop. "Get a room!" This was not helping. He heard Annie _giggle_ again and Law laughing along with Robin's chuckle. He felt himself blush a little.

"I'm up for it if Sanji is up for it." Annie said again, this time meeting his eyes and not even trying to hide the provocative tone behind those words. Sanji felt his abdomen muscles tighten a little and it was hard to control what his mind was screaming for him to do.

"Oi... Calm down Annie. At least let him eat." Law pulled her out of Sanji's single arm embrace to make her sit straight in her chair. Annie got back to chattering with Law and Robin. Robin had an amused smile on her face and she gave a knowing smile to Sanji before falling into a conversation with the two undercover agents.

Sanji looked at his empty plate. He had been feeling hungry when the movie had ended but right now, that was the last thing his mind was registering. It wasn't like him and Annie had not done stuff. Kissing apart, there had been moments when he had let go of his emotions and taken a step forward in their relationship, physically. He had allowed letting himself be vulnerable in front of Annie a little at a time and she had accepted him every time despite his inhibitions. The memory of him kissing her properly for the first time came flooding to his mind and he felt warmth surround his heart and a smile pull up on his lips. He picked up the wine glass infront of him and helped himself to some of it.

A couple of glasses later, he had replayed every intimate moment with Annie in his mind. Him pressing her breasts lightly when they kissed in his office, him sucking on them while she sat half naked on his leg and grinded on it, her going down on his cock while he sat on the sofa. A couple of weeks ago, he had gone down on her and made her squirm as he held her thighs apart on his bed. He remembered how her nails had dug into his scalp, that was his favorite night with her, yet.

He sighed and played with the tomato on his plate. Annie had supported him at his worst and this was when she had barely known him. There were moments when she had let the control on her emotions slip a little and Sanji had noticed that she was probably feeling more for him than what he felt for her. He felt guilty every time it happened and the part of his brain where he tried to keep Zoro locked away, burst open to deepen the feeling. He cared for Annie. And that care had slowly started to settle and build a place of its own in his heart. It scared him that he was allowing himself to feel those feelings again. But he felt good when she returned a few of those feelings (which happened when she wasn't trying to keep what she was actually feeling hidden.).

"Sanji san, I know it's your restaurant but the closing time was an hour ago and we want to go home." Taijo's voice broke his train of thoughts and he cleared his throat a little before answering.

"Uhh.. yah... Sorry about that. We'll be out in a few.." He turned to his friends. The officials had left about half an hour ago leaving just Law and Kidd as the new additions to the group. "Oi! You all have to leave now. Get on it." He got up and started collecting the plates from all around the table as everyone groaned and started getting up, Nami collecting the cash from everyone for what they owed. Smoker had already paid for the officials before leaving.

"Sanji San! What are you doing! Leave the cleaning and locking up to us. You seem a little distracted yourself. Please leave with your friends." Taijo hurried forward with two more waiters in his wake.

Sanji sighed as he handed over the utensils to him. "I'm sorry Taijo. I really put you in a spot all the time!"  
"Don't worry about it..." Taijo blushed lightly as he started cleaning and took the cash from Nami.

"Sanji.. Will you be able to drive?" Robin asked him. Sanji thought over it. He had just had two glasses of wine. That was not really enough to get him off his feet but he could definitely feel the alcohol kick in a little. "I'm a little fuzzy but I am sure I can manage to get home if I drive safe." He smiled at her.

Law was trying to keep Annie from punching Kidd "You like him, then you tell him! Don't fucking stare at him from across the table like he is cheating on you!" Kidd was being held back by Franky "You don't know what you are talking about! It's because of you that he flirts around!" Sanji and Robin hurried over to them. Annie's patience was kind of limited when she was sober. There was no way she would take shit from anyone when she was drunk. The problem was, Sanji was pretty sure that she couldn't pack a punch with her usual intensity while she was drunk either. "You bastard!" Annie struggled against Law's hold "You fucking son of a bitch! You ain't got the guts to apologize and you blame me for it! You sick coward!"

"Oi.. Annie... Please... Stop struggling. You know I'm okay with it!" Law was strong and was obviously used to handling a drunken Annie. "YES, LAW! THAT IS WHY I HAVE TO DO THIS!" Annie was however, out of control.  
This continued for another few minutes before Annie seemed to calm down a little, though she was still cussing under her breathe as Law kept whispering in her ear. Something uncoiled in Sanji's stomach when he saw them like this. He walked ahead and tapped Law on his shoulder. He turned to look at him and gave him an apologetic smile. Sanji tried smiling back but the muscles in his jaws were suddenly too tight to do so.

Law whispered something in Annie's ear and she snapped her head to look at Sanji, the anger replaced with mischievousness. She gave Sanji an evil-ish smile before kissing Law on the cheek "I'm fine. Thanks. You can let go." Law nodded. He let go of her and walked over to the exit, Kidd, Robin and Franky following him.

Annie and Sanji were the only ones left inside now and she walked to him slowly. Her pace steady and hand coming up to wipe something imaginary from her lips, holding Sanji's eye to her own. They were barely 5 steps away. She closed in on him; her hands around his neck (She cursed herself inwardly for being short) and Sanji got his around her waist, pulling her closer. "You got jealous" There it was. She was using her alluring voice again. Sanji said nothing but tightened his grip around her waist. "Kawai ne... I never thought you could be jealo.." Sanji bent down and kissed her furiously, cutting her off. She responded immediately, her tongue fighting for dominance with his. Perfect, just perfect. He growled into kiss a little which seemed to fuel Annie instead of scare her. He wanted her. He wanted this person in his arms. He wanted to take her and never let anyone else hold her the way he held her. The image of Law holding her back and calming her down flashed across his eyes and suddenly, he pulled away from the kiss, Annie pouting at the loss.

Sanji took a deep breath. Annie, realizing something wasn't right cupped his face to force him to look at her. He did and his eyes reflected the anger he was feeling. "Sanji..." She murmured, her heart clenching "I'm sorry. I didn't know it would make you angry." Sanji closed his eyes and shook his head, leaning in to press his head against Annie's. "It's not you... It..." He sighed. "Can we discuss this when we reach home?"

Annie nodded and let go of Sanji's face. She was about to turn and leave but he doesn't let go of her, his eyes wide in horror. She said nothing and waited for a while. She was quite drunk and to be frank, she had had extremely seductive thoughts every time she looked at Sanji and it was difficult for her to control herself even though she knew Sanji was disturbed. She shook out another loud image from her mind and leaned against Sanji's chest, needing the support to stay upright. Sanji took a deep breath again, trying to calm himself down. Annie could hear his heart hammering against his chest. She frowned a little.

"Sanji... It's going to be okay..." She hummed, bringing her arms around him and moving her hand soothingly on his muscled back. She didn't know why she was reassuring him but somehow, it felt the right thing to do. That or she was drunk and totally misinterpreting his actions. Sanji rested his chin on her head, still breathing deeply, but he felt better with Annie next to him. He finally sighed and released her, holding one of her hands as they headed out of All Blue.

The journey back to Sanji's place was sort of silent with Annie humming to every song that played and Sanji concentrating hard on driving slow and safe. Entering the hallway, Sanji made way to the washroom to change and get comfortable, Annie following the suit, though she literally rushed through it and was out of the bathroom before Sanji had even gotten his zip undone. He looked at the door warily. Yup. He had definitely spoilt her mood. He changed quickly and left the bathroom. Annie was sitting on the sofa, her knees got up to her chest and she was hugging herself. He went and sat next to her, bringing his arm around her shoulders, waiting for her to speak.

"What happened there?" Her voice came out muffled.  
Sanji kept quiet, his grip tightening. Annie raised her head to look at him but he kept looking forward. She sighed and unfolded her legs and crossed them. Removing his hand from her shoulder, she tugged him. Getting the hint, Sanji lay down, his head resting on her lap and legs hanging off the couch. She bent low and kissed him reassuringly. "Tell me" she spoke into the kiss, feeling Sanji tense a little again "Please?"

"I..." Sanji cleared his throat. Annie was lightly brushing through his hair "I just... Annie," He raised his hand to hold hers and bring it down so that he could kiss the palm and then entangled their fingers together. He sighed. "I didn't realize that... I ..." He didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell her... He wanted to tell her how much she was affecting him. She made him happy and peaceful. She brought out the emotions in him that he was trying so hard to bury. He didn't want to be hurt again. He didn't need to love again and then lose it.

"Sanji... Do you have honest feelings for me?" Annie asked, a small smile playing on her lips. Sanji looked at her and nodded a second later. She let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Chuckling lightly, she traced Sanji's lips with her thumb, feeling the slightly rough texture. "Are you scared?" Sanji looked thoughtful for a moment before his body relaxed a little and he just closed his eyes and chuckled. Annie played with his goatee, her eyes half lidded. "I am not going to leave you, Sanji. Atleast, not unless you want me to." Sanji relaxed a bit more and opened his eyes to look at into hers. "I don't think I would ever want you to leave."

Smiling, Annie kissed Sanji again, her mind a little too drunk to process the almost confession. She felt right with Sanji at this very moment, like her past had never occurred and she was never lonely. She didn't realize Sanji feeling the same at that very moment as their lips met and they kissed slowly, revelling in the moment of being there with each other.

The thoughts she had been trying to control for the past hour came flowing in her mind as she increased the pace of the kiss, desperation evident as her left Sanji's face to travel down his muscled torso. Sanji held her arm as he chuckled in the kiss. She broke apart and stared down, pouting a little, not understanding what was funny.

Sanji grinned and rolled off. He took Annie's hand in his and pulled her to her feet. He hugged her tightly and nuzzled into her hair. Annie was not at all against the closeness but she really was in no mood for sappy gestures. She returned the embrace for a couple of seconds before turning her head and biting Sanji's chest through his shirt. He gasped and chuckled again. Well, he thought, it was about time he let himself go. He broke the embrace and bent down to kiss her again.

The sound of the door opening and closing broke them apart. Sanji groaned and so did Annie "It's probably Ace. He said he was going to come over tonight". Sanji had totally forgotten the arrangement that had been planned. Annie broke away from Sanji and walked over towards the kitchen as she heard the fridge door open. Seriously, Ace had to leave. She was finally going to... all thoughts of punching Luffy or Ace drained out of her mind as she saw a tall, well built man with a shock of green hair standing in the middle of the kitchen with a beer bottle in his hand.

Zoro stared back at Annie, confusion written across his face. 'Shit! I got in the wrong flat.'

 _ **So.. hehe... I wanted to write the sex scenes that ran in my mind, around 6 of them. But somehow, it didn't feel right without Zoro.**_

 _ **BlackPiece, thank youuuu! :D I am so glad you reviewed! Hope you liked this chapter and let me know what you are expecting for the next one..**_

 _ **ZoroSanji2015 Annie is a short girl, 5 foot 3 inches. Black long hair (Hip length, naturally wavy), urm... figure is an hourglass though she is not too busty. She does have a muscular built cause she has to fight and is extremely flexible (pole dance). Hope you liked this chapter! ^_^**_


	9. Chapter 8

**_Just a reminder... Rated M for smut._**

 ** _Chapter Eight_**

'Shit!' Zoro thought to himself. 'I got in the wrong apartment'

Annie stood at the door connecting the living room to the dining room. All the blood draining out of her face as she saw the man she had only seen in photos before. Muscular, tall, nonchalant sexiness exuding from his stance and a shock of green hair falling back from his face. So this, was Roronoa Zoro. Her heart sank. Sanji turned gay for him? She would turn gay for him if she was a guy. Wait... what was she thinking? She just had to get drunk tonight, didn't she? Shit! Was this even happening? Was her insecure mind making her see things? She heard Sanji's footsteps behind her but was too shocked to react.

Zoro looked at the lady whose apartment he had just trespassed. She looked rather funny, staring at him like she was dreaming. He cleared his throat and was about to apologize when he heard a familiar voice reach his ears.

"What's wrong?" Sanji's words touched Zoro's ears and his eyes widened in confusion and disbelief as he saw Sanji appear behind the lady, his hand as if instinctively going around her waist.

Zoro felt his heart stop as the floor slipped from beneath his feet; realizing what he was seeing. He was not expecting this. He did not expect to find a stranger next to the man he loved when he came back here today. He did not know what he was expecting; suddenly realizing he had no right to expect in the first place. He had come here today to ask for the cook's forgiveness. To let him know that achieving his dream without him was useless.

He did expect. He expected the cook to fight. He expected the cook to foul mouth him and tell him to never show his stupid face again. He had expected Sanji to kick him. He had ' _hoped'_ for Sanji to wait for him. He froze where he stood, looking at Sanji and the girl next to him.

Sanji all but froze next to Annie, his grip around her waist almost painful. He looked directly into Zoro's eyes. He looked at the face he had deprived himself of for the last 5 months. He had removed everything from his surroundings that reminded him about Zoro. He had tied up the man standing ten feet away from him into a bundle and thrown him at the back of his mind and he had unravelled him every time he felt the weakness take over him. He stared at Zoro for all but ten seconds before a snort escaped his lips.

Annie's hand holding his hand on her waist tightened as she turned to look at him, a little confused. Sanji suddenly closed his eyes and relaxed his grip on Annie. He was shaking a little, his head held low and his fringe hiding his face from her. "Sanji" She murmured. Her mind was working too slowly.

Sanji suddenly let out a burst of laughter as turned his face to look at Annie. This was too much for her. What the... Why the hell was Sanji laughing of all things? His face seemed alive all of a sudden and his one visible eye was glistening with unshed tears and pain. He bent down and kissed Annie lightly on the lips. She tasted the salt in his tears as they rolled into the kiss. "Sorry" he whispered and walked towards Zoro, his head kept low and hair falling forward so that Zoro didn't see him like this.

Zoro felt his heart clench tightly as he saw the cook bend down to kiss ... that girl. He felt his chest constrict a little. There was so much softness there, so much helplessness in the kiss. His eyes widened when Sanji broke the kiss and walked towards him. He however, kept his eyes on the girl whose eyes were glued to the back of Sanji's head. His body tensed as the cook approached him, not knowing what to expect or do.

Sanji walked past Zoro like he wasn't standing an inch away him. He picked up the keys to his car from the key holder.

Before Annie or Zoro could register it, a leg flew out and hit Zoro straight on his head, causing him to crash headlong into the fridge. Sanji huffed as he slammed apartment door shut behind him.

Annie's eyes widened in horror. Did Sanji just kick Zoro? She blinked... forcing her mind to function. Zoro was not moving. She forced her feet to move forward. Walking over to Zoro's fallen form; she felt her heart clench a little. This was so unexpected. Was Sanji going to be okay? She shook her head, realizing now what the "sorry" was for.

She crouched down next to Zoro. "Oi... You alright?" She didn't touch him; she valued her life. Zoro didn't move or make a sound to show any response to her formal concern. She could tell by the slight rise and fall in his chest that he was alright. "Oi..." She poked him with her finger "Oi!" she spoke a little louder, increasing the intensity of her poke. She bent over his face and checked for any cuts. There were none but a nasty bump was forming where Sanji's foot had met his head.

She let out a frustrated growl and got up to hold his legs. "Out cold due to a kick to the head... Thought he was supposed to be some unbeatable sword freak hunk." She pulled on the legs. "Of – course Mr. High Ho would weigh a ton" she muttered to herself all the while she slowly dragged Zoro to the sofa in the living room. It took at least ten minutes with the breaks she took to not stress out her back.

Now, she had to lift the man on to the couch. "That guy is gonna get it when he comes back..." She sat on the couch and held Zoro by his arm pits and pulled with all her might. Another few minutes of pulling and pushing later, she had somehow managed to settle the unconscious mosshead in a comfortable position. She chuckled to herself as the scene reminded her of Rapunzel putting Flynn Rider* into the closet.

What now?

-:-

His head hurt. Zoro had never been knocked out cold his entire life. There were moments when Nami had hit his head hard enough to leave an ugly bump but never had he been knocked out cold. It was therefore a new feeling for him to come to with a numb (?) headache. He opened his eye lids lightly, trying to comprehend what was going on. He was surrounded by darkness and a blanket was separating him from the mild coldness that was in the room.

He closed his eyes again, feeling comfortable. A few seconds later, he felt a movement on the side of his face. He could feel something cool against the numbness on his face.

His eyes snapped open a few seconds later as everything that happened came flooding back into his mind. He sat up straight, not realizing where he was. Fuck. Sanji had kicked him. Sanji has kissed a girl and then kicked him. A girl. Sanji was living with a girl. He felt his heart clench. So, Sanji had moved on. He was too late.

"Finally awake huh?" Zoro turned around to see who the owner of the voice was.

Sitting on the ground beside where his head was a few seconds ago, was the girl Sanji had kissed. He turned away from her, not interested in answering.

"He still loves you."

The words fell on his ear and it took him a while to understand what she was saying. He turned his head slightly to look at her again. She looked like she had been crying. Eyes puffed and hair dishevelled. She was wearing an overlong tee shirt, which Zoro now realized was Sanji's. He was at a loss of words. What was he supposed to say to that?

The words she spoke had however caused a huge wave of relief to pass over him. Sanji still loved him? Even the possibility made him feel a little at ease.

"Here" She (the girl) got up and handed him an ice patch "Put it on the side of your head. Will reduce... you know..." She trailed off as she walked towards the kitchen. Zoro noticed an empty beer bottle in her hand. He felt his heart sink a little.

Putting the ice pack back on his numb side (which, he now realized, was because the girl had been giving him a cold fermentation), he lay back into the sofa. The image of Sanji kissing her was plastered in his mind. It had looked so genuine. It had seemed like in some way, Sanji actually depended on her. His heart clenched again and something overtook all other emotions he was feeling.

Zoro had been jealous before. He had been jealous when he saw the blonde making out with Lilly in Skypia. So jealous that it had made him realize his feelings for the guy. And right now, he felt jealous of her.

"You look... hic... like you're in pain"

Zoro's brows furrowed. What was she trying to do? Did she not know about him? No... No... Her reaction towards him proved she knew him. Then, why?

"Hic... Do you need an asprin?" Her voice slurred a little.

"No" Zoro replied stiffly. Why was she trying to take care of him? Wasn't she supposed to hate him or something?

"He still loves you." The words were spoken sincerely. Zoro sighed. He felt a little stuck. This was the second time in five minutes that she had said that. He opened his eyes, the girl was looking at him as she stood right over his head, staring at him.

"Why are you saying that again and again?" He questioned her.

She blinked. "I think..." she started "He still loves you."

Zoro growled as he got up "What's your problem?" It was then that he noticed that she had fresh tears in her eyes. She sniffed and took a swig at her beer. "You." She pointed a finger at him from the same hand holding the beer, the other deep in her pocket. "You're my problem. You're a handsome fucktard and probably an idiot asshole too."

Zoro felt his blood boil a little as anger clouded his senses "The hell Lady? What are you trying to say?"  
She chuckled. "I guess you are a muscle head. He was right."

Zoro stared at her. He had had enough, he needed to leave. Maybe a strong drink and he would be able to think straight. Somewhere at the back of his mind he noticed that the girl was using Sanji's slang to taunt him. So Sanji had talked about him. Just as he was about to get himself off the couch, the girls phone went off. They both glared at the Samsung Note 3 lying on the table for a while.

She seemed to realize a few seconds later that it was her phone that was ringing because she let out a "oh" and then picked up the phone to see who it was. She answered in a second.

"Chopper?"

Zoro's eyes widened. Was she talking to Chopper? Had she gotten that close with everyone? He listened to the one sided conversation.

"Wha..?" Her eyes grew bigger and she looked at Zoro. Fear, pure fear reflected in them. "Who else have you called?" Zoro could practically see all the drunkenness washing off her. What was wrong? "Okay. Do me a favour, don't call anyone. For now. Please?" She turned and rushed into the bathroom. Zoro couldn't help himself. He followed. "... when I get there. Till then, don't call anyone else. Please. And hold yourself together." She had changed into a tank top and jeans and was holding a wet towel in her hand as she rushed out barely 30 seconds later. "Yes. Just, give me around fifteen minutes." Her voice was wavering slightly.

Zoro couldn't help but feel a little worried. She was rushing around and the look she gave him sent shivers up his spine. He was about to ask her what was going on when she started talking.

"We don't have the time to talk. You have a car?"  
"Bike" He didn't know why he replied but her voice was demanding urgency and he was dreading what came next.

"Okay. Let's go. Grand Central Hospital. Sanji was in an accident."

-:-

Sanji got into his car and started the engine and wiped the few tears that clung to his chin. He hated leaving Annie to deal with Zoro but he just needed to get away from there. He knew she would understand. He reversed the car out of the garage, third time that day and drove away from his apartment building.

What was he thinking? What was Zoro thinking? Coming out of the blue after five months?

He put the car in 3rd gear as he increased the speed, his mind barely on the road. He lowered the window preferring the cool air outside.

Five months. He left without even waiting for Sanji to come back to their apartment. Gone.

Another tear left his eye as he remembered that day clearly in his mind, as if it was yesterday.

* * *

Zoro's mood seemed a little off since the day he had missed the tournament. Today, he was discharged from the hospital and as Sanji drove back to their home, he could feel the self loath and doubt floating off his marimo. He didn't break the silence, wondering what he could do to motivate Zoro for the next match. His self criticising nature had been the cause of a few silent days in the past two years. The only way Sanji had been able to help him was lie close to him on the bed as the mosshead curled up to him, hugging him close. But today, he knew that was not something Zoro would want to do. He himself was against the idea. He felt a little guilty too. He blamed himself for flowing in his emotions without thinking of the outcome.

Sex on a beach under the moonlight.

What were they thinking? Oh wait, they weren't thinking. He would definitely refrain himself from such irrational cravings in the future. He stopped the car outside the apartment to let Zoro out at the door. Zoro got off without a word and shuffled over, still limping a little. Sanji frowned and moved the car into the garage. It was around 7 PM and if he started cooking in the next ten minutes after changing, he could definitely cook something filling and warm for dinner. Maybe, sweet corn chicken soup for starters and grilled fish with mayonnaise dip for the main course. He could add some scrambled eggs and crisp potatoes to the main dish. That would fill them u really well.

He entered the apartment, hung the keys in the key holder and walked over to the living room to find Zoro sitting on the couch, a bottle of rum in his hands. He was staring at the flatscreen but it was obvious he was lost in thoughts and needed some space. Sanji's heart clenched a little but he went back into the kitchen, washed his hands, put on his apron and started pulling out the things he needed to make dinner. He had just finished cutting the fish and marinating it when Zoro walked in.

"Can we talk?"

Sanji looked up at Zoro, noticing the scowl on his face; his brows were furrowed like he was thinking about the most difficult task in his life. Sanji felt a little dread creep up his spine. "Uh.. yeah.. what's up?"  
Zoro shook his head. "Sit" He said, pointing to the dining table. Sanji raised his eyebrows. Bewildered, he cleaned his hands and went to sit on one of the chairs while Zoro sat on one right opposite him. He sighed. They sat in silence for at least five minutes. Sanji was a patient man but the tension in the room was getting to him and he was getting uncomfortable. He cleared his throat finally. "Zo.."

"I'm leaving."

Sanji sat there. He heard the words yet he didn't hear them. His mind was able to make absolutely no sense of what Zoro just said. "W... What?" He heard his voice waver but he didn't give a shit about that.

Zoro looked up at the blonde, locking their eyes together. Sanji could see that it was hurting him to do this. "You know my dream, don't you, Sanji?" Sanji could feel his eyes tingle. "You know how important it is to me. You know it is my priority." Sanji just blinked. "I need to leave. I need to concentrate on it. I have to fulfil my promise." A lump was forming in Sanji's throat as he heard every word the swordsman said, etching it into his memory. He knew it. He knew this would happen, somewhere at the back of his head, when he had realized that Zoro would be missing the tournament due to him. His heart started beating faster and he was quite sure that he was breathing heavily.

Zoro wanted an out. He wanted to leave. He heard a chuckle leave him. He couldn't help it. He looked down at the table cloth where his fingers were knotted together. "You want to leave..." His voice came out soft, defeated. "I'm sorry. I am distracting you. You are right. Your dream is important. It's... the priority." Without glancing at Zoro, he got up and took his apron off. "I need some air..." He muttered as he walked hurriedly out the door. He needed air. He needed to let this sink in. He knew they had fucked up. He knew that _he_ had fucked up. He needed to walk; he needed to let that sink in. He needed to... understand... that he had to let go of Zoro if he really loved him.

He came back home an hour later, hoping to talk a little more and see if they could stay in touch. He entered an empty apartment; silence greeted him as he realized he was alone.

* * *

Another tear slid down his face as he put the car in gear 4, increasing the speed way beyond the speed limit, feeling the air whip his hair out of his eye.

So he came back, after five months. What was he expecting? Why was he back? The first two months were like a living hell for Sanji as he realized how much everything reminded him of Zoro. His friends, his empty bed, the shower, the couch... himself. Everything. He left no mode of communicating. Sanji knew calling him would be fruitless so he never tried. He controlled himself every time he stared at his phone screen, hoping for Zoro to call. But he didn't.

Stepping down a little harder on the accelerator, Sanji sped through the city. Thinking the same thing over and over again.

Why? Why was he back?

Horns blaring. Tires screeching on the road. Blinding flashlight.

Sanji closed his eyes, trying to protect his eyes from the light as he released the wheel completely to cover his ears.

He felt his head bang on the window as he realized he didn't have his seatbelt on, everything around him blurring a moment later. He was not in control. He could smell the diesel leaking. A sickening, loud crack echoed in his ears and pain travelled up his spine as he felt his body being thrown forward and in a weird angle. White light enclosed his vision.

* * *

'..Can... me?' Someone was standing above him.

* * *

'... car was upturned and he didn't have the seatbelt on... responsive to light test... blood type O neg... anji Black...'

* * *

'... hear me?' A sandy haired boy was speaking to him. 'responsive. Call Doctor kaya. I can't operate on him.'

-:-

Zoro stared at her dumbfounded.

"Sanji was in an accident." His heart stopped beating before it raced.

"C'mon. Zoro." She stepped closer to him, her hand encasing his "You can drive now, right? Are you too dizzy?" Her voice was soft and comforting but there was still a trace of urgency in it.  
Zoro concentrated on her as he felt coldness envelope his heart. He shouldn't have come back. He should not have come back. This was his fault.

"Hey!" She snapped; her voice louder. "Blaming yourself won't help here. We need to be there. Can you drive now or not?" She spoke in an authoritative tone.  
Zoro tried to concentrate on what she was saying again. "Yes" He whispered. She squeezed his hand. "Good. C'mon. I'll guide the way."

15 minutes later, he and the girl were standing next to an extremely tensed Chopper. When he first saw that Zoro was back, the sand haired man had all but run up to him and held him in a bone crushing hug, his tears staining Zoro's tee. Zoro hugged him back. Chopper was like a younger brother to him. He had missed him the most after Sanji and Luffy. They held on to each other till the girl cleared her throat and apologized for the intrusion but needed to know what had happened.

"They got him in around half an hour ago" Chopper started, sniffing a little "Luckily I was on call tonight. His face was covered in blood and was barely responding to any of the sensory tests. He has a cracked skull and a cracked spine too. The medic told me that his car had been upturned when a truck came and hit him. He didn't have the seat belt on which is why he was thrown around like a ball and that is probably the reason behind his fractures. He is being operated right now. He was barely responding so he is definitely not in the safe zone."

Zoro could feel his heart tear bit by bit as he heard what Chopper was saying. The girl standing next to him suddenly leaned into him. He looked down at her, she was trembling slightly. He got his arm around her shoulder. He knew at this moment, no matter how much he hated her, she was feeling the same agony that he was. They both were feeling helpless and could do nothing but wait.

Zoro led her into the waiting room, Chopper tottering behind them. He made her sit on one of the empty chairs and took a chair beside her, patting the empty one next to him to indicate chopper to have a seat.

The time passed slowly. The lady fell asleep fifteen minutes later and Chopper rushed to get her a blanket he kept in his locker. Zoro sighed. He didn't know what to think. He was torn between his worry for Sanji and the snitch in his heart. He glanced at the girl next to him. He realized that he didn't even know her name.

'He still loves you.' Her words came rushing back in his head as he looked at her. Why had she said that? She had been crying when she did. Even in the dark place where he was now, those words filled him with a little warmth. His heart sank again. She was hurting too. If what she said was true and Sanji had never stopped loving him but was still so close to her... She had to be hurting.

His thoughts went back to Sanji. Sanji. The person he fell in love with. He leaned back in his chair, hands on the arm rest; head tilted enough to see the ceiling.

* * *

He had hurt Sanji. He could see the horror reflect in Sanji's eyes. He sat there staring at him.

Then, suddenly, he heard him chuckle. Sanji looked away from his face. 'You want to leave... I'm sorry, I'm distracting you.' His voice was hollow and painfully calm. 'You are right. Your dream is important. It's... the priority.' He heard the defeat in his voice.

Zoro wanted to leap from his chair and hug him. He wanted to tell the blond that he loved him. That he didn't want to leave. He wanted to be with him forever. He almost did. But Sanji suddenly got up 'I need some air.' And walked out.

Zoro hated himself. He hated himself to inflict this on Sanji. But he knew if he waited another minute, he would stay. He would stay and put his promise with Kunia at a lower priority. He took a deep breath. Picking up a bag, he put his swords, wallet, keys, mobile and charger into it. He was almost about to leave when he remembered something. He walked into their room, avoided looking at the bed and went to his almirah. He fumbled with his clothes before he found what he was looking for and left, a small tear making its way down his face. Sanji would never forgive him for this.

* * *

"It's a hostel mister. You have to share your room!"

Zoro glowered at the boy sitting on the desk behind the counter. He had tried looking at every inn and hotel in the east line but none were available. Apparently, some carnival was planned for the next day and the city was packed. He had finally got this place but now he is being told that he has to share the room. It had been a month since he left the front door of their... Sanji's apartment and he had been training almost all the time except when he had to shift cities when no one challenged him in the underground fights.

"Fine. Give me the key."

On getting the key, he huffed his way up to the third floor, and found his room after a few minutes. He entered to find one of the two beds in the room covered with nothing but stuffed toys. His eyes winded slightly.

"You're my roommate?" a high pitched voice spoke to him. He looked around to see where the voice was coming from but he found no one. "I'm under the bed. Wait." A girl with pink hair crawled out from under the bed. She stood up with a bounce, a happy gleam in her eyes. "Hi! You're my roommate?" She repeated her question.

"Uhh..." Zoro turned to look at the number on the door again. "yes."

"Cool. I'm Perona" She held out her hand "Zoro" he replied. They shook hands.

"Make yourself at home. How long are you here?"

Zoro looked at here in awe. She was friendly, it seemed. "I dunno.. a month or two maybe."

"Well then, I guess we are going to stick together for a while" She smiled at him. "In that case, don't go through my underwears."

Zoro stared at her. "Your... What? Why would I do that?"

She laughed a weird laugh. Zoro was starting to regret this already.

* * *

Three months. Three months had passed since he got this hostel. Four months away from Sanji.

Every challenge he won felt hollow. He had found various amazing fighters in this town. Beating them was not in the slightest bit easy. But he succeeded in defeating every one of them. He learnt a few new attacks and his speed had increased. But he felt no joy in winning. He felt no warmth in his heart. He never felt victorious. He just felt... empty.

Perona entered the room. "Hey!" She walked over to where he lay relaxing on the bed and handed him a coffee she got from Starbucks. "Another win?" She asked as she kept her bag on her bed and sat down, a Strawberry Frappuccino held in her hand.

Zoro grunted and sat up to drink the coffee she got for him.

"You're missing him again... aren't you?"

Zoro sighed. He was surprised how close he had gotten to Perona. She knew almost everything about him now and he knew about her past as well.

"It feels empty."

Perona got off her bed and came over to his and straddled him, his arms automatically went on her hips. She grinded herself a little on him and kissed him. Zoro closed his eyes and tried to forget the hole in his heart. Frustrated, he growled into the kiss and flipped so he was on top. He grinded himself on her roughly before he bent down to kiss her furiously. His hands going into her long beautiful hair as her legs came around his hips, pulling them so that he kept grinding his hardening member on her spot. Her hands found a way under his tee and he broke the kiss for a second to take it off and glued his lips to hers again.

Her hands travelled all over his muscled back, tickling him close to his backbone. He relaxed into the kiss when she did, tingles spreading all over his torso. His grinds became smoother as he sucked softly on her lower lip. She licked his upper lip, trapped between her lips. Zoro parted his lips slightly, getting his tongue out to meet the tip of hers before sliding along it inside her, feeling her do the same. He trailed a hand down her side and lifted her top a little. He felt her smooth skin as he moved his hand to cup her breast.

He applied the pressure he knew she liked on her nipples with his palm. She moaned into the kiss and Zoro grinded a little harder onto her, increasing his place slowly. Her hands went down his torso to cup his hardness. He rolled himself into her hand as she applied some pressure as well. He broke the kiss and raised her skirt (short) to reveal tight pink panties which were already wet.

He shifted so that her legs came around his chest as he moved the panties to one side. She smelled of sex. Zoro licked up the juices around her vagina, his tongue teasing her entrance. He laid his tongue flat against her red swollen bud as he separated the lips using his two fingers and moved it vertically, causing her to clench her ass muscles and arch her back lightly, a soft moan escaping her lips. He continued the motion with his tongue for a while before getting replacing the flatness of his tongue with the tip. He slowly started drawing the figure 8 on her, feeling her legs starting to tremble around him. He increased the speed and pressure slowly and felt more juices wet his lips. She started moaning loudly and bucked her hips into his mouth. He started tracing a circle next, not letting her get even a moment's break. He could feel her nearing her orgasm. She got her hands into his hair and pulled. "Ah! Fuck... Zoro! Faster!"

Her strained voice went straight to his cock. He increased the pressure and started moving his tongue faster, making his tongue lay a little more flatter. Her legs around his chest tightened as she arched her back, wetness flowing from her into his mouth as he continued tonguing her through her orgasm. He felt her squirm a little under him as it became too sensitive for her. He sucked on her for a second before going back up on her, his one hand opening his jeans to free his throbbing cock.

She leaned up to kiss him a little as he freed his member and placed it at her entrance. Her hand travelled down to place them on his hips. She pushed him lightly, hinting him to go ahead. He entered her in one stroke. Her felt her wet warmth surround him. She was tight and hot. He sighed and kissed her back feverishly as he raised one of his hands to the headboard to support himself. He pulled out a little and thrust back in. He made another experimental thrust. Getting comfortable, he started rolling his hips in a set rhythm, thrusting into her, grinding himself a little on her clit.

The kiss turned sloppy as he increased the pace, thrusting himself to achieve completion. Perona broke the kiss to arch her back slightly as he rode her to her second orgasm. His hips snapped with her with each thrust he made. He could feel it nearing. His pace faltered a little as her felt his precum leak inside her. She rolled her hips to meet his thrusts. That was the last straw. Zoro felt her tighten around him as they came together.

Zoro sprawled to his side, panting. Perona came to cuddle him and he hugged her lightly.

There were no kisses after that. Just the two lost in deep thoughts.

"Zoro?"  
"Mmm?" He rested him chin on her head  
"Go back. Go back to him."

* * *

Two weeks later, Zoro was standing infront of the hostel and giving Perona a goodbye kiss and thanking her for everything. She smiled and told him to get back to the man he loved.

He and Perona were, as she liked to call it, Friends with Benefits.

* * *

When Perona had told Zoro to go back, he had been a little taken aback. He had never considered it an option, not after how he left Sanji.  
It took her two weeks to convince him to go back. That trying to salvage what might be left was better than living a life in bitter resentment. And here he was, sitting in the hospital waiting room, next to the girl who for all he might know was probably Sanji's friend with benefit.

Who was he kidding? He saw the kiss. There were feelings attached to it. It was so obvious that what was between the two of them was serious.

"Zoro? Annie?" Chopper's voice entered his train of thoughts. He jerked his head forward; it had been nearly four hours since they reached the hospital. Every second had passed agonizingly slow with nothing but worry and tension looming over their head. No updates were given to them as they sat in the corner of the room.

"Chopper.." Zoro's voice was hoarse from misuse. Beside him, Annie was curled up in the blanket Chopper got for her. Her eyes were red and puffy. She looked at Chopper intently, probably hoping for good news.

Chopper's face however betrayed that hope. He looked at both of them. Zoro and Annie were not prepared for what came next.

"He's in a coma."

 ** _I tried... Reviews are welcome!_**

 ** _ZoroSanji2015 I hope you like this chapter_** ** _J_** ** _Baby 5 is close enough :D_**

 ** _BlackPiece, I was about to click 'post chapter' when I got your review. :P I hope this chapter is not a let down! Hope you like it! Thank you so much for reviewing! I really appreciate it! XOXO_**


	10. Update 2

Hello!  
Another update.

Things are getting quite busy around here and chapter nine is going to be pretty long. Hopefully you stick along!

The update is going to be slightly delayed. i.e. no updates this week.

Feel free to read the Zoro X Sanji one shot smut on my second story - Smut and Fluff.

s/11432055/1/Smut-and-Fluff

Blackpiece, you are an amazing reader, I swear! I love reading your reviews! I hope the next chapter does not let you down though I have a feeling you have already guessed what's gonna come up next! ;) ZoroX Annie will happen but that is so far off in the series... :O I am hoping you stick with me till then... ^_^ Thank you so much for reviewing!

And thank you to the 8 followers! I wasnt even expecting 2! *Hides face*


	11. Chapter 9

_Memories are in reverse order._

 ** _Chapter Nine_**

 ** _Take Me Back to the Start_**

 _Nobody said it was easy_

 _It's such a shame for us to part_

 _Nobody said it was easy_

 _No one ever said it would be this hard_

 _Oh_

 _Take me back to the start_

"I am not going to leave you, Sanji. Atleast, not unless you want me to."

The moonlight shone across her face as she said those words, the moment as serene as a calm ocean.

"I don't think I would ever want you to leave."

The smile grew more meaningful as she leaned in to touch his lips with hers.

-:-

Law was holding Annie close to stop her from punching Kidd. He stood behind her, his arms around her waist, lips talking softly in her ear as he tried to calm her down.

A creature rose inside Sanji's head as he saw how close the two were. He clenched his hands at his side to control the sudden urge to tear the two apart. Annie and Law went way back and the golden eyed man understood her in ways he didn't. The thought didn't help. It only riled up the creature in him.

He couldn't help it and tapped Law on his shoulder. Law turned to look at him and gave an apologetic smile. The muscles in his jaws were a little too tensed to allow the smile he tried to fake. Law turned to Annie and whispered something in her ear. She whipped her head around to look at Sanji, an evil smile playing on her lips. She kissed Law lightly on his cheek and murmured something in his ear to which he nodded and let go of her. The beast in his heart whined a little before growling when she kissed Law. He tried controlling it again, not understanding why he was jealous of Law of all people. Maybe it was the wine?

-:-

Nami and Annie were standing with their back facing Ace and him. Sanji's heart fluttered a little like it always did when he saw the two beautiful ladies in front of him. He could listen to what they were talking about now.

'... definitely hoping for more.'

'Annie, exactly what do you mean by *quite close*?'

'We... umm...' Sanji felt his cheeks burn a little as he understood what Nami was probably trying to ask and he could sense Annie blushing.

'You guys haven't had sex, have you?' Nami's voice was sly

'No' Annie muttered hurriedly. Ace elbowed Sanji lightly and coughed. The ladies turned around and it didn't matter who was embarrassed because everyone was blushing now, except Ace. Ace was smiling like he just heard the weather news.

'Sorry for the wait, ladies. Shall we?' He held his arm out to escort Nami. A wave of relief swept over Sanji. Ace had a knack of analysing situations and reacting automatically to diffuse the tension. He grinned to himself. The scene reminded him of Zoro a little and it was one of the moments where missing him was not painful.

-:-

"Can I?"

"You don't need to ask."

"How long has it been?"

"I can't even remember..." Annie chuckled as he kissed her neck. The vibrations on her throat as she did made Sanji want the moment to last. The sheets were practically a mess around them as they fondled. A long day at work and coming back to someone waiting for him to arrive; just what a man wishes for.

She sighed as he kissed her where she loved it.

Sanji was sitting against the bed rest with Annie straddling him. His shirt had been thrown aside and the jeans button undone. Annie was wearing his white shirt (with a black underwear), buttoned halfway through.

Putting his hand on her hips, his lips never leaving her neck, he pulled her closer. Her forehead came to rest on his shoulder as he did.

"Are you sure?" Sanji mumbled into her nape, feeling her fast pulse under his lips.

"mmm..." She hugged him closer.

Taking that as a 'yes', he squeezed her ass a little, one of the hands trailing up to unbutton the remaining of the shirt while he played with his tongue on her neck.

Annie's heart beat quickened with every button. He unbuttoned the last one and trailed both his hands up her torso; his touch light and feathery. She felt amazing. Her skin soft yet the muscles that she had built provided it subtle firmness. He felt the sides of her soft mounds, his hands tickling her lightly as he moved his fingers till he finally reached her shoulders. Her breathing escalated a little. He lightly tipped the shirt off her left shoulder while his mouth still attacked her neck on the opposite side.

Moving down to the centre of her neck; making her raise her head and fall back slightly, he kissed the length of her neck as he tipped the shirt off the other shoulder too.

Annie pressed her body against him, preventing him from removing the shirt completely. He chuckled as he looked up into her deep chocolate eyes and kissed her lightly. Her hands clutched his hair.

Annie was uncomfortable about her body. It was something he had learned a while back. His hands wandered on her back, trying to reassure her. He deepened the kiss and slid one of his hands down her back, around her waist and pressed near her groin. She moaned lightly into the kiss as he started massaging her, his other hand lying on her back.

She relaxed a little after a while and Sanji got the arm on her back to cup one of her breasts. He started teasing her nipple lightly with his thumb, feeling it harden under his touch. Leaving her gasping lips, he attached his mouth to the other and started licking. Moans escaped her as she arched her back ever so little, pushing her nipple against his tongue. Switching his mouth to the other nipple, he trailed his now free hand down and around her waist, holding her steady as he sucked and licked her at the same time.

Her hands loosened their grip on his hair to slide down to his shoulders and regain their grip. Sanji liked the way her nails dug into his skin. He lowered the hand that was massaging her groin lower and slipped his hand under her laced lingerie and stopped there, feeling her hot waxed skin under his fingers. Annie whimpered a little when he stopped. Giving a last suck (for the time being) to her hard nipple and biting it lightly, he looked up at her, kissing her inner elbow near his face. She looked down at him, her eyes pleading.

Not breaking the eye contact, Sanji moved his hand lower. Using his index and middle finger, he collected her wetness and got it to her clitoris and stopped again. She was hot. He pressed lightly on her nub and she gasped a little, fighting to keep her eyes open as she looked into his.

Sanji smiled at her, making no attempt to move at all, his fingers pressed against her spot, staring into her eyes. Her eyes narrowed a little as she understood what he was doing. But she was in no mood of denying it. His grip around her waist tightened as he saw realization flicker in her eyes.

Staring into the deep blue sea of lust, Annie rolled her hips lightly. The pressure on her nub combined by her movement sent a little wave of pleasure up her spine. She gasped again, watching him look at her face eagerly, noting her reaction as she tried to pleasure herself on his fingers. She grinded again; getting more close to him, his chin dipping between her soft mounds.

She set herself into a rhythm, rolling her hips back and forward on him. Their eyes never left each other. Sanji could feel her arousal building as she leaked on his fingers, lubing them with each grind. He felt his own hardness get a little impatient as he took in every tense muscle on her face, concentrated in keeping her eyes open, refusing to give up. Her moans and puffs filled the room, going straight to his cock.

Her pace faltered lightly for a second before she rolled back into a slower rhythm. He knew she was close but he was not going to give her the satisfaction yet. Her eyes were almost shut close, her back arching slowly. He finally broke his stance and leaned up to kiss her as he removed his fingers, making her whine in protest. His fingers were laced with her wetness as his hand trailed up to her neck. He could feel the frustration and desperation in her kiss. She had definitely been close. He grinned as he broke the kiss and easily flipped them, so they lay on the bed.

She was much shorter than him. It made his heart flutter with warmth looking at her small, sleek physique under him; her cheeks and chest a dark shade of pink.

"You tease" she gasped

He chuckled and gave her a light peck on her lips. "You are enjoying it" he mumbled on them. She moaned as he rubbed his constricted hard member against her.

He started to make his way south slowly, kissing and licking all over her tanned skin. He kissed her swollen lips, her hips buckled in anticipation. He grinned and inserted his tongue between them. The wetness surrounded his tongue as he gave her an agonizingly slow lick; her back arching slightly when he reached her already sensitive area. She whined again when the tongue was removed and he started kissing her thighs instead.

Sanji knew she could feel him grinning as she gasped for air. He liked to take it slow. He knew girls enjoyed multiple orgasms but a powerful one brought around by prolonged teasing just sent them over the top.

He pressed his lips against her swollen lips again and settled down between her legs. Bringing his arms around her legs, he bought them close together around him, barely giving himself the room to breathe.

Finally dipping his tongue between the lips again, he collected her wetness on it and made his way to her hard, peeking nub. Laying his tongue flat against her, he slowly started moving it in small circles. Annie tried opening her legs wider to give him better access but he refused to allow it. Her hips jerked up in annoyance. He pressed down her hips then, restricting their free movement. He continued to trace the circles slowly, buildling her arousal, till he started to feel her thighs straining against his biceps to open further, clearly indicating that she wanted more.

He finally gave in and removed the constraining hands around her, spreading her legs to give him more freedom to explore. Dipping lower, he lightly started a to and fro motion on the slim cartilage above her clitoris. She gasped and buckled her hips in his mouth. The area was too sensitive and his touch was light yet firm. She clutched the sides of the bedsheets, giving in to the senses slowly overtaking. Sanji could feel her legs starting to tremble every time he hit the right spot. He increased the pressure slightly, keeping the speed slow.

Annie arched her back as she felt her arousal building and slowly reaching the edge. The moans escaped her and she felt her hands automatically release the sheets and travel to clutch Sanji's hair.

Returning his concentration to her nub, Sanji increased the pace a little as well as the pressure, feeling her legs trembling uncontrollably, hip buckled up and nails digging into his skull.

"Ahhhh! Fuck! Sanji... AH!"

The words escaping her mouth made no sense to her as she finally felt her arousal reach its peak and rolls of pleasure tumbled all along her spine. She felt the burn on her cheeks as her lost herself deeper into the high, forgetting everything except Sanji, his lips sucking and tonguing her as she came, intensifying the suppressed pleasure flowing throughout her veins.

Sanji felt her hands release him as she started coming down from the high. He released her nub and went down to lick all her juices, tasting the tanginess spread over his tongue. Her legs still spasmed around him, body going lax. He slowly made his way up, kissing her trembling stomach, dipping his tongue in her navel, caressing her firm softness as he lightly kissed her neck. Her breathing was heavy and face flushed, eyes closed, arms placed limply on his jeans clad hips, lips apart, gasping. He supported himself on his elbows, tangling his fingers in her hair.

He placed his lips lightly on her gasping ones, closing his eyes to enjoy their softness. She tried kissing back but was breathing too heavily to accomplish the task perfectly.

They stayed like that for a while, basking in each other's body warmth, gasping against each other's lips. Sanji Kept kissing her lightly till her breathing returned to normal and she kissed him back softly.

"Wow..." She breathed against him. Chuckling, Sanji licked her lip. "You... wow..." Senses retuning a little, her hands started to move to his hard region but he got his hand on hers, stopping her. "Sanji..." She mumbled...

He cut her off, kissing her deeply, feeling her breathing starting to hitch again as she clutched on his jeans, trying to pry her hands free. Finally breaking the kiss, Sanji fell to his side, taking her with him so that she was pressed against his chest. He nuzzled into her hair as she jumbled their legs together, her hands still resiliently trying to work their way to his erection.

"Annie..." His was a little hoarse and deep, soothing, "I don't want it, not today..."

She looked up at him confused. "You're hard." She rubbed her thigh against his erection as if to prove the point. He moaned lightly and chuckled halfway through it as he hugged her closer.

"I know, but not today." He kissed her forehead.

Annie settled herself on his bicep, her nose dipping lightly between his chest and arm. "Okay, but you can't refuse tomorrow."

Sanji lay there, living the moment to the fullest. It had been a while since he had felt... not lonely.

"Sanji...?" He hummed in reply, eyes closed, half asleep. "Nothing..." He felt her smile against him as she landed a small kiss on his brachii before she followed his lead and asleep.

-:-

Annie was standing in his kitchen. His kitchen, which he always kept in a pristine condition, everything at its place and spotless clean. His kitchen, which, right now, was covered in flour, cocoa powder and confectionary sugar. What made Sanji laugh was the fact that she was covered in the three ingredients as well, the white sugar an utter contrast to her hair and cocoa powder contouring her warm skin while the flour simply stuck to her forehead in a single broad flat line. It was all just too cute for him.

She was holding a cake in her hands, which she had evidently cooked while he slept off half of his Sunday.

Sanji felt guilty laughing but the grin on her face proved that she didn't mind it in the slightest.

"Well... Taste it already! It's my first try baking!" She urged him

Sanji walked over to her and took the small round cake from her hands and placed it on the counter. He turned around to wind his arms around her waist, pulling her close and kissed her, bending almost double to reach her. She melted into the kiss as she got her arms around his neck.

Breaking apart, Sanji kept a hold on her hand as he pulled her to stand between him and the counter. He picked up a clean knife from the nearby drawer and cut out a triangle before putting a piece in his mouth.

Her chewed on it for a few seconds "Mmm.. This is good" he said, adding later "for a first try."

Annie elbowed him in his gut before taking a bite off the piece he held close to his mouth. A second later, she had opened her eyes wide and gulped down the piece with difficulty. "Too much sugar?" She mumbled, her cheeks sporting a pink hue.

Sanji kissed the top of her head as he laughed. "Too much sugar." He agreed as he took another bite.

-:-

"I'm sorry"

"No... Annie... Tell me what is it? What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

Annie had suddenly frozen in between a smoking hot kiss they were sharing behind Skypia before she started struggling, asking Sanji to stop and pushing him off her. He had complied immediately but he kept close to her. She had sunk to the ground, pulling the dress back up on her shoulder. Sanji sat down next to her, worried if he had hurt her.

"No... It's not you. It's me. I just... urm... relapsed to those days."

Sanji could feel the discomfort flowing off her. Her past had been nothing short of tragic. His blood boiled everytime he thought about it. But right now, seeing how it affected her, he just felt a tight knot in his heart.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered.

She shook her head, eyes closed. "It's not your fault, Sanji. It just catches up to me at times. No amount of therapy can prevent that." Her voice trembled a little.

Sanji edged a little closer to her. Her body tensed for a second before she relaxed and let her head fall on his shoulder. Silent sobs shook her body as he put an arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

He wanted to let her know she was here. She was here and was out of the reach of the thugs who did that to her. He wanted to take her far away from the past that traumatized her. He felt his shirt dampen and he gritted his teeth together. He was sure that if he wasn't hugging her right now, he would definitely have punched the wall.

"Talk" She gasped. His grip on her shoulder increased. He didn't know what to say. "Please" She whispered.

Sanji took a deep breath.

He didn't know what to say.

"Anything"

He hugged her closer... Without thinking any further, he started humming, not realizing the song he was softly humming to her, lyrics playing in his mind.

Soft baritone hums breaking the silence and soothing the silent cries

 _Come up to meet you  
Tell you I'm sorry  
You don't know how lovely you are_

 _I had to find you  
Tell you I need you  
Tell you I set you apart_

 _Tell me your secrets  
And ask me your questions  
Oh, let's go back to the start_

Sanji didn't realize he had started singing softly along the way

 _Running in circles  
Coming up tails  
Heads on a science apart_

 _Nobody said it was easy_

Annie curled up closer to him, his other arm coming around her

 _It's such a shame for us to part_

Sanji felt the knot in his heart tighten. A tear slid down his cheek

 _Nobody said it was easy_

Annie held one of his hands in her own as he heard his voice starting to break.

 _No one ever said it would be so hard_

Feeling the dam burst, Sanji felt tears roll down his eyes, unable to control himself. Annie's grip on him tightened and he pulled her even closer, needing the support. The words turned to a hum again

 _Oh... Take me back to the start_

They sat hugging each other for their dear life in the empty alleyway; two broken souls; both trying to comfort the other; as they forgot their own pain and moulded into the others.

-:-

"He didn't dye them green?"

Annie sat across the table, on a date, with Sanji. A date would presumably include knowing more of the person sitting in front of you but this one however included knowing about Sanji's ex. But then again, nothing about the two dating was normal since the beginning.

Sanji gave her a crooked smile. "No... That was his natural color. I tried stressing my mind to wrap my head around it but it's useless."

Sanji was feeling a little embarrassed. Somehow, he had managed to get Zoro into his date, no matter how much he tried to stray away from the topic. Annie just caught him every time he tried that.

"Hmmm..." Annie was spaced out again.

"I called him Marimo"

"Of course you did" She laughed.

-:-

Another night alone, in his room, with no warmth pressed to his back to lull him to the comfort of sleep. It had been three days since he last slept. His phone buzzed and he lunged forward to see who was messaging him. Nami. He sighed, hating himself to hope for Zoro's text or call to arrive miraculously.

-:-

The drink burnt his throat as he took it in; in one go. He picked up the Rum and pushed it roughly back in the fridge. He had to select one of Zoro's special. He went and sat on his couch, waiting for the alcohol to hit him. He sat on his couch, alone, staring at a picture of a mosshead. A mosshead he loved. He threw the phone aside and went to the bedroom instead. Another, drunk, sleepless night. Maybe he would just lay on the bed till the sleep grabs hold of him.

-:-

"Sanji... please. You need to eat!" Nami had entered his house and noticed that he had eaten nada since the past four or five days. He expected her to be furious but it seemed like he had broken her heart.

"I vomit it out, what's the use? It will be a waste!"

Nami looked at him sternly and then held out her hand to grab his. "Sanji kyun. We are worried about you... Please. Just talk to us. If not me then someone you're comfortable with!" She gave his hand a tiny squeeze.

Sanji gave her the fake slime that he had been plastering on himself for the past month. "I will" He said, the faint hint of a promise overshadowed by the disinterest in his heart.

-:-

"Hey.. you're awake! Are you feeling alright?"

Ace's head loomed into his vision as he came to. What was going on?

Oh.

Zoro had left.

"Oi... Sanji... You okay bud?"

He nodded meekly in response. His head was hurting and so were all his body joints.

"No! Don't try getting up! You have a fever. What do you need?"

Sanji looked at Ace. Fever? And why was Ace here?

A faint image of Nami finding him as he scrubbed the coffee stain off his table trickled into his mind. So it was not a dream.

"Water" he croaked

-:-

"I'm leaving"

Zoro sat across him on the table, no hint of humour in his eyes. He was serious.

-:-

"What were we thinking, cook?" Zoro sat on the passenger's seat as Sanji buckled him up. He was running high on fever and had vomited thrice that day. On further inspection, it was found that the mosshead had a terrible rash at a very sensitive place. Sanji ruffled his hair lightly, watching him close his eyes to the touch.

"We'll be at the hospital soon." He leaned in and gave him a tiny peck on his lips which Zoro returned. "And we will never do it on a beach again, I promise. No matter how much we want to tear the clothes off each other!"

-:-

Zoro and Sanji lay on the beach, gasping for breath. Sanji nuzzled into the marimo's neck. The beach was feeling cold against their skin now that their body heat was coming down. Sanji shivered lightly as Zoro tugged him closer.

"Well... We can cross that off from our bucket list!"

Sanji chuckled... They would have to go and take a hot bath soon. But right now, it felt good to be lying beside Zoro with the moon and stars spread out over them.

-:-

Sanji felt something tickle on his face. He opened his eyes and looked around bleary.

Next, he felt himself being swooped up and pressed against a warm chest. He nuzzled into the body heater, allowing himself to drift back to sleep. He loved this part the most. Falling asleep on the couch waiting for the Marimo every once in a while and then being woken up by a gentle caress across his face. A smile was etched on his face as he fell back into the world of his dreams.

-:-

Sanji woke up in his bed with warmth engulfing his back and one more sensation. He gasped and looked down to see a muscled tanned arm across his stomach, the hand encasing his cock and rubbing it slowly to it's erection. The comforter barely concealed him anymore as he saw the hands work on him.

"Good morning" Zoro's low baritone voice crooned into his ear, his tongue tickled Sanji's earlobe before biting it lightly. "Finally awake, huh?" He pulled Sanji closer to him as a moan escaped the blonde's lips.

"Zoro... What? We did it last night, you pervert!"

Zoro flicked his hand over the now hard cock making the cook shut up and gasp again, arching his back lightly. His hand left the cock and traced a tickling line across his hip bone and came to a stop at the top of the cook's muscled, toned ass. He squeezed one the butt cheeks and saw Sanji's face redden.

"I love your ass." He murmured in Sanji's ear "I love the way it moves when I am kissing you or when you are waltzing around in the kitchen." He gave Sanji a small peck on his burning cheek before continuing "Just relax and try enjoying this"

Sanji relaxed into Zoro's hold and rested his head on his shoulder, his hair framing his face and the sun reflected his features perfectly.

Zoro's hands reached his opening and started massaging him.

"You're wet"

Sanji felt his ears burn. "That's your doing last night, marimo"

Zoro kissed his nape as he inserted a finger inside Sanji. "Is it?" he mumbled, his lips softly caressing the cooks neck. Sanji hummed as he felt Zoro's digit inside him.

A second finger accompanied the first and Sanji held his breathe at the invasion, his insides gripping on Zoro tightly. "Relax, Sanji"

The soft squelching sound echoed in the room as Zoro started moving his fingers again, allowing Sanji to adjust. Curling his fingers to the come hither motion at the spot which made Sanji moan and arch his back again. Zoro loosened his grip allowing Sanji to move freely, now that he knew the cook wouldn't tell him to stop. Using the scissoring motion, he started prepping the cook.

Sanji moaned uncontrollably and turned so that he laid face down, moving his hips slowly to match the motion of Zoro's fingers, his cock rubbing on the sheets in the process. Zoro moved with him, his chest pressing into Sanji's back, lips never leaving the cook's hairline or shoulders. He wedged his knees between the cook's legs, his own cock resting in the cleft of Sanji's ass, his free hand holding onto Sanji's right and entangling their fingers.

"You ready?"

"Fuck! Yes! Just put it in already!"

Zoro removed his fingers from Sanji's ass and guided his erection to the entrance. Sanji gasped as he felt Zoro fill him. He lifted his buttocks slightly, allowing a deeper penetration. Zoro came to nuzzle into his hair as he started thrusting forward, each thrust rolling Sanji's hardness against the soft, scratchy fabric of the comforter, stimulating his dick as Zoro fucked him in the early morning rays.

Their bodies slid over each other's sweaty frames, hard nipples rubbing into the toned, compact muscled back and moans flowed freely in the sex filled air of the room. Sanji felt Zoro kiss his neck and back, whenever he could. He felt the mosshead's gasps hit his overheated body and their arms tangled together. He knew then, in that moment that he was never going to leave Zoro. He was never going t let go of the hand currently holding him down.

-:-

"You shouldn't be drunk and driving, ero cook."

Sanji laughed as he stomped down on the accelerator, almost hitting the truck on the other side of the road.

Horns blaring. Tires screeching on the road. Blinding flashlight.

Sanji closed his eyes, trying to protect his eyes from the light as he released the wheel completely to cover his ears.

He felt his head bang on the window as he realized he didn't have his seatbelt on, everything around him blurring a moment later. He was not in control. He could smell the diesel leaking. A sickening, loud crack echoed in his ears and pain travelled up his spine as he felt his body being thrown forward and in a weird angle. White light enclosed his vision.

* * *

'..Can... me?' Someone was standing above him.

A lady, mid twenties, smiling at him, holding his hand. Black hair tied in a bun and red puffy eyes.

"Hey.." her voice was silky, "How're you feeling now?

Sanji loked away from her, around the room. Zoro stood in the corner, loking like he was being held back by imaginary hands. A smile broke across Sanji's face.

"Zo..."

Zoro started and looked at him in surprise, Sanji wanted so badly to touch Zoro, to see if he was alright. But the way Zoro was acting, it was like he was scared of Sanji somehow.

"Zoro, I think he wants you to come and meet him." The lady next to him spoke in her mellow voice, Sanji so distracted that he didn't detect the underlying trail of sadness in the voice.

Zoro move forward, finally, slowly and took Sanji's other hand in his.  
"How you doing cook?"

Sanji's eyes filled with tears. "I'm... sorry." He uttered out, the words barely audible.

"What are you saying sorry for cook? You are alright. That's what matters. Annie and me have been worried sick about you."

Sanji turned his head to look at the girl sitting next to him, his eyes a pure mask of confusion.

"Annie?" He questioned, like he had never heard the name before.

 **Probably Not Gonna Continue.**

 **Thanks for the support though.**

Yes, Sanji lost all memories of Annie. ALso, I have not re-read the chapter. Excuse the grammatical errors.


End file.
